Many in Appling County were saddened to learn of multiple events that occurred this past week and weekend in this community and Jeff Davis County.

According to Appling County Sheriff Benny Deloach on Monday, Dec. 1, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Alex Passailaigue, age 40, of Appling County was found dead in a wooded area off Jake Moody Road near the Altamaha River. The body was sent to the state crime lab for an autopsy and further testing. At this time the sheriff’s office is awaiting the results of those tests. No foul play is suspected, but investigation continues.

On Sunday, at approximately 2:15 p.m., an automobile accident in Jeff Davis County claimed the lives of several Appling Countians. Christy Hutcheson, her son, K. C. Hutcheson, her stepson, Jacob Hutcheson, and her mother, Betty Colson, all received fatal injuries as a result of the accident.

According to Acting Sheriff of Jeff Davis County John Lee, the accident occurred near the intersection of Post Road and Bell Telephone Road in Jeff Davis County. Lee stated that a driver of a second vehicle failed to yield at a stop sign driving directly into the path of Hutcheson’s vehicle (a minivan). Another passenger in the van was injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The Georgia State Patrol, Helena Post, is investigating this accident.

The driver and a passenger in the second vehicle were injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.