Appling County Sheriff Mark Melton issued a press release Tuesday stating that around 4:00 that morning, officers, and EMS were dispatched to a residence in Baxley where they discovered a deceased male identified as 63-year-old Clarence Steven Ayers. Investigators and the Appling County Coroner’s office determined Ayers death to be a homicide.

The Georgia State Patrol was requested to assisting in locating a suspect who fled the scene, according to Sheriff Melton. That suspect, 51-year-old Samuel David Veal was located and apprehended and is currently being held in the Appling County Detention Center.

Sheriff Melton says Ayers body will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab to assist in the ongoing investigation.

Clarence Ayers’ sister says her brother was a disabled veteran who was a kind, caring, and gentle soul, and thanked all law enforcement involved for their compassion and personal response at this difficulty time.