Clayton News Daily

Photo by Heather Middleton Clayton County police and fire officials are investigating the discovery of a body inside an outbuilding in the yard of a Jonesboro home

By Kathy Jefcoats

kjefcoats@news-daily.com

JONESBORO — A woman found dead in a shed apparently used to live in the house on the same property, said Clayton County police.

Officer Phong Nguyen said the woman was identified as Susan Stover, believed to be in her 50s. Nguyen said the address on Stover’s driver’s license matched that of the property where she was found on Twin Oaks Drive in Jonesboro. However, neighbors said the house has been vacant since August.

Because the shed appeared to have been lived in, neighbors speculated that Stover returned at some point after moving out.

Windows on the home are boarded up and the yard is filled with debris. It was that debris that caught the attention of a passer-by Wednesday, said Nguyen. “A guy noticed something in the yard that he wanted to buy so he knocked on the door to talk to someone about it,” he said.

When he didn’t get an answer, he wandered around the property, trying to find a resident, said Nguyen. During his search, he opened the door to the backyard shed, found a woman’s body and called 911.

A makeshift bed, a chair, dishes and clothing could be seen inside the outbuilding as investigators examined the scene Wednesday.

Police said the death appears to be natural but the official cause was still under investigation Thursday. The body was taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy and the police are awaiting the results of that examination, said Nguyen.

Clayton County does not have a coroner and uses the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office to conduct autopsies.

Clayton County fire Battalion Chief Jacque Feilke confirmed that emergency medical services personnel were sent to the home to provide assistance but found the person non-responsive and called police.