Atlanta

Man's body found face down in creek near homes in NW Atlanta

ATLANTA — Police are trying to identify the decomposed body of a man found floating in a creek.

A woman walking her dog made the discovery off Whitewater Creek Road in northwest Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Neighbors told Channel 2's Audrey Washington the mysterious death has them on edge.

Dr. Geoff Broocker and his wife walk their dog, Snoop, at Whitewater Creek almost every day. They said they’ve never really heard of anything strange happening there until Tuesday night.

“When we came here this morning, we were expecting to see yellow tape,” Broocker said. “That concerns us very much.”

Atlanta police rushed to the creek, which empties into the Chattahoochee River, after they got a call about a body in the water.

Investigators told Washington that a woman walking her dog made the shocking discovery.

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“She advised that her dog alerted her to a male that was face down in a pool of water. The male was deceased on scene,” Stephanie Brown, with the Atlanta Police Department, said.

The creek sits on federal property and is a part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, so park rangers also responded to the scene.

Washington contacted Atlanta investigators on Wednesday and they told her the body showed signs of decomposition, so police will work to determine just how long the man was in the water.

“That’s kind of weird,” neighbor Janet Saltmarsh said. “I don’t know if it’s going to stop me from coming but I hate that it happened.”

Investigators towed away a two-door SUV that, police said, had been found in the trailhead parking area nearby.

On Tuesday night, police did not say whether the SUV belonged to the man.

Many people in the surrounding upscale community told Washington that they won’t feel completely at ease again until all of the questions are answered in this case.

“Until they come up with the information, with the autopsy, it’s going to be difficult to determine whether this was an accident or foul play or suicidal or otherwise,” Broocker said.

The case remains under investigation. Police said it’s possible the case will be turned over to the National Park Service.