Lowndes County investigators have arrested three people in what they believe to be the murder of a man missing since last summer.
Joseph Lane Purcell, 29, and Allan Michael Farley, 27, have both been charged with murder for the death of Columbus resident James Ryan Taylor, according to a Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office press release. Deputies also arrested Deborah Johnston, 55, who has been charged with accessory after the fact.
Taylor’s family last saw him July 14, 2020, according to Taylor’s mother,
Laura Taylor. He was reported missing to Columbus Police Department, which has been searching for him primarily on The Island, where he was last seen at the Plaza Hotel the same night. His disappearance sparked local searches and prompted the family to offer a $5,000 reward for information on his whereabouts in February.
Sheriff Eddie Hawkins told The Dispatch investigators have not found Taylor’s remains yet.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to recover his remains,” he said. “We’re working on that based on the investigation and how it unfolds.”
He also said investigators are working on both “motive and means” in the case, but that they had enough probable cause to obtain a warrant for the
three arrests. He added he anticipates more arrests in the case.
“We don’t want to release too much to give other co-defendants a heads up and it make it harder for us to find them,” he said.
Hawkins said he has talked with Taylor’s family and that they are aware of the investigation. He said investigators’ goal is to “give the family some closure.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information to call LCSO at 662-328-6788 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151 or leave a tip for law enforcement on the P3 phone application.
Purcell and Farley are in Lowndes County Adult Detention Center on no bond, while Johnston is in custody on $100,000 bond.
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