Magnet fisher uncovers rifle, cellphone linked to a couple's 2015 deaths in Georgia

An individual who set out to magnet fish ended up finding evidence in connection to a nine-year-old case out of Georgia, authorities said in a news release Monday.

On April 14, a person was magnet fishing in Telfair County’s Horse Creek when they found a .22 caliber rifle, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. Two days later, they found a bag containing drivers’ licenses, credit cards and a cellphone belonging to a couple that died in January 2015.

The next day, GBI agents and the Telfair County Sheriff’s Office searched a home in the 400 block of Webb Cemetery Road. They went back on April 19 and found evidence that will be submitted to the crime lab for further analysis. 

The couple, 69-year-old Elrey "Bud" Runion and his wife, 66-year-old June Runion, died in January 2015 and police later arrested Ronnie “Jay” Towns in connection to their deaths. He was charged with murder and armed robbery, the Associated Press reported. 

Towns' first indictment was thrown out due to issues with the way the grand jury was selected, the AP reported. He was indicted again in 2020 but the proceedings were pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Towns has pleaded not guilty.

The court proceedings may have also been delayed due to prosecutors seeking the death penalty, which means they'll have to take extra before the trial begins, the AP reported.

USA TODAY contacted Towns’ defense attorney, Franklin Hogue, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Couple traveled to Telfair County to buy vintage car

Towns met the couple via Craigslist, according to previous reporting by the Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. They traveled to Telfair County to buy a 1966 Ford Mustang. But instead of leaving with the vehicle, they were shot.

Shortly after their deaths, the owner of a local market recalled seeing the couple. They’d stopped to ask for directions, said Angela Kinnett, owner of Kinnett's Antique & Flea Market.

The market was about five miles north of where the couple’s bodies were found, the Chronicle reported. Their SUV was found submerged in a pond nearby as well.

Towns had made a deal with the couple, who wanted to buy a car he “did not possess,” the outlet reported, citing court records.

Authorities began looking into the Runions’ disappearance when their daughters reported them missing. They were supposed to babysit their grandchildren but never showed up, reported the AP.

The sheriff’s office said at the time that a cellphone used to speak to the Runions was traced to Towns, who turned himself in shortly after their deaths.

The GBI said the case is tentatively scheduled for trial in August 2024.

Police ask that anyone with information call (478) 374-6988 or 1-800-597-8477. Tips can aso be submitted via www.gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app. 

Contributing: Joe Kovac Jr.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her atsdmartin@usatoday.com.