By TopTrendReportTv
May 16, 2024
After over a decade, the cold case involving three bodies discovered inside a car on a Georgia interstate has finally seen progress.
Last week, Keante Harris, an assistant principal at a middle school in Alabama, was arrested in connection with the triple murder. He is one of four men taken into custody for this case. Harris faces charges of murder in Georgia, following his arrest on a fugitive from justice charge. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has been in the education field since 2006.
Walter Gonsoulin, the Superintendent, confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Harris works at McAdory Middle School. Gonsoulin stated, “We were informed that Mr. Keante Harris was arrested on Wednesday afternoon. We are currently gathering more information about this situation. Early signs suggest that the charges are not related to his employment with Jefferson County Schools. Following standard protocol, Mr. Harris has been placed on paid administrative leave. We will act according to our district’s policy as more details become available.”
The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office reported that Kevin Harris, Kenneth Thompson, and Derrell Adams were also apprehended. All four men face murder charges in Georgia. In January 2013, an officer found the bodies in an abandoned Dodge Charger on the northbound exit ramp of I-85 in Union City, Georgia.
The victims were identified as Cheryl Colquitt-Thompson, 32, Quinones King, 33, and Rodney Cottrell, 43. Colquitt-Thompson’s body was found in the trunk, while the other two bodies were inside the car. Investigations revealed that the victims were lured at gunpoint to a house in Jonesboro, Georgia, where they were tortured and killed before their bodies were placed in the Charger and abandoned in Fulton County.
Cheryl Colquitt-Thompson’s body was found stuffed inside the trunk of a car that was abandoned on the side of a Georgia interstate in 2013
On May 8, 2024, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office issued murder warrants for the four men, leading to arrests in Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Each man faces three counts of malice murder. Authorities have not disclosed how the men were connected to the case or why it took so long to make the arrests.
Quinones King’s body was found inside a car that was abandoned on the side of a Georgia interstate in 2013 after he and two others were tortured and killed
Keante Harris is currently held in the Jefferson County Jail, while the other three are in custody in Georgia and South Carolina, awaiting extradition to Clayton County.
Rodney Cottrell was the third body found in the vehicle 11 years ago
Tony Garrett from Central Alabama CrimeStoppers told WSFA that he never forgot the case and hopes the reward offered helped lead to the arrests. “We’re still offering the reward for this case, and we are waiting to see if a tipster or some new information helped solve it,” Garrett said.
He noted that advances in technology are helping solve more cold cases. “We are seeing DNA investigations and agencies pooling resources. There’s improved communication and better investigative methods,” Garrett explained.
Garrett mentioned that CrimeStoppers is in contact with the victims' families and that the case deeply affected him. “This case helped me grow as a CrimeStoppers director. It allowed me to understand and share in the family’s emotions,” he said.
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