For the third time in roughly a year and a half, law enforcement officers, agents, and other officials stood in the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office to announce an arrest in a long-standing cold case. Friday morning, officials announced the arrest of James Lawrence III, 47, in connection with the September 15, 1998, murder of Christy Myers, then 20, of Broxton.
Myers lived in Broxton with her husband and young child. On the evening of September 14, 1998, Myers left her residence to go to a store in Broxton. Multiple witnesses reported seeing and speaking with Myers at the store before she left alone in her vehicle.
Shortly after midnight on September 15, 1998, Myers was found deceased outside her vehicle along the Broxton-Fitzgerald Highway just outside Broxton.
The preliminary investigation determined that nearby residents heard a conversation followed by the sound of a vehicle accelerating. A citizen went to investigate the disturbance and discovered Myers deceased.
For nearly three decades, investigators continued working to identify the person responsible for Myers’ death. In the early morning hours of October 1, 2026, GBI agents, along with members of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and Irwin County Sheriff’s Office, executed an arrest warrant for Lawrence at a residence in Irwin County. Lawrence was taken into custody without incident.
During Friday’s news conference, investigators stated that the diligence and attention to detail by agents and officers led to Lawrence’s arrest. They also referenced new developments in technology and investigative techniques that led to the arrest though they offered little specific information regarding what ultimately pointed them to Lawrence, simply stating that “conclusive latent print and DNA” evidence gave investigators what they needed to make the arrest.
“Today we recognize an important moment in the pursuit of justice and the truth achieved through the tireless dedicated efforts and shared commitment of local and state law enforcement agencies working together. This case is a powerful example of what can be accomplished through the dedication, collaboration, and shared resources of law enforcement agencies along with their steadfast commitment to finding answers. Throughout this investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office combined their experience, technology, and resources while utilizing numerous investigative acts of expertise to re-examine the case and pursue countless avenues and investigative leads that directed this team toward justice for Christy and her family,” said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey.
“Christy Myers is more than a name on a case file. She was a loving young mother, a daughter, a sister and a member of this community. In her short life, she still managed to leave a lasting impression on her family and friends. They remember her as a happy and bubbly woman who loved to sing. Christy’s young wife was cut short on September 14, 1998,” said Jessica Hamilton, Special Agent in Charge of the GBI’s Douglas office.
Hamilton added that agents and officers “have conducted countless interviews, collected and processed items of evidence, repeatedly submitted evidence for testing and retesting, administered polygraph examinations, and explored the latest forensic technological advances as they became available.” Ultimately, she said, the GBI’s Cold Case Unit got involved and its agents, along with local GBI agents and law enforcement officers, “came up with an investigative strategy that eventually led to agents being able to tie James Lawrence III to the scene through conclusive latent print and DNA evidence.”
“For 28 years, the murder of Christy Dawn Myers has weighed on her family and on this community. Christy was just 20 years old when her life was brutally taken. She was a daughter and a young mother. Her family has had to go on without her while waiting for answers. Today, we are announcing an arrest in her murder. First, I want to speak to Christy’s family. I know this day cannot bring her back. And I know an arrest cannot give you the years you lost with her. But I hope today shows you that Christy was never forgotten. People kept working for her. And we will stand with you as this case moves through the court. I want to recognize our partners with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Their agents have given this case their time, their skill, and their determination. The GBI has stood alongside our sheriff’s office for years, and the partnership means a great deal to us. When a family in Coffee County needs answers, we know we can count on them to do the work with us and stay with it,” said Coffee County Sheriff Fred Cole.
Chelsea Wolfe, Christy’s daughter, remembered her mother as an expressive and happy young woman who loved to sing, take walks, and fiercely express herself. She was a great friend and a loving mother, sister, and daughter, said Wolfe. “I don’t want my mom to be remembered as only a victim. She was so much more than that. My mom was resilient and she was a fighter. She deserved to live her life and watch her family grow. Because my mom was taken from me, everything I know about her comes secondhand. I was deprived of ever knowing who my mom was and who she would be. For 28 years, every single day, my family and I have carried the weight of the unknown and the absence of my mother. We questioned if we would ever receive justice. It’s a unique kind of grief and a burden that each of us carried. Today, we can finally shed some of that weight of this burden knowing that a major step towards justice has begun,” she said.
Wolfe continued: “We would like to express our most sincere gratitude to the Special Operations Unit, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the sheriff’s department. To every single person who worked on my mom’s case, old and new, thank you for keeping your promise to my family and especially to my Granny Debbie. Thank you for your tireless dedication and for not giving up on my mom and her case. Thank you to the community and to those who have kept my mom in her story alive. Although today brings us a little bit of closure, it’s only the beginning of a new chapter, but a chapter that we are ready for. To other families who are still waiting for a phone call, please do not give up hope. Thank you again to law enforcement and to the community and the media for years of support and for keeping your promise. Christy Dawn Myers is not forgotten. It is a new day, a new dawn, and may justice prevail.”
WALB’s Taylor Lewis contributed to this report and photograph.
