On October 24, 2019, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Region 12 Field Office (GBI, Eastman, Georgia) along with the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office, Lyons Police Department, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) discovered human remains in a makeshift grave located in a wooded area off of Ponderosa Road in Toombs County, Georgia.
The current investigation stems from a missing person investigation initiated by the Lyons Police Department. On October 6, 2019, Brandon Colson, age 26, of Lyons, Georgia, was reported missing to the Lyons Police Department. Since that time, the Lyons Police Department and the GBI have conducted numerous interviews and gained information which ultimately led to the execution of a search warrant in the area of Ponderosa Road in Toombs County.
On 10/24/2019, at approximately 10:50 A.M., the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office, Lyons Police Department, GBI, and GEMA executed a search warrant for the residence located at 148 Ponderosa Road in Toombs County and a search of an adjacent property. Initially, law enforcement utilized Cadaver dogs provided by GEMA to locate the makeshift gravesite. Upon the discovery of human remains, Sheriff Alvie Kight requested the assistance of the GBI to further the investigation concerning the human remains. Through investigative efforts, the two cases have been linked together. The human remains were sent to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy. The autopsy revealed that the human remains were that of Brandon Colson.
At this time, Hollis Alan Bryant, age 24, and Israel Timothy Williams, age 19, both of Lyons, have been charged with Felony Murder. Additional charges and arrests are pending at this time. This is still an active and ongoing joint investigation. Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to contact the GBI at 478-374-6988, the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office at 912-526-6778, or the Lyons Police Department at 912-526-3638.