In January 2015, 66-year-old June Runion and her 69-year-old husband, Elrey 'Bud' Runion, left their Marietta, Georgia, home on a trip to Telfair County. Bud, a Vietnam veteran and classic car enthusiast, was pursuing a lifelong dream of owning a 1966 Ford Mustang, similar to one he had in his youth. He had placed an ad on Craigslist seeking the car and received a response from a man who claimed to have one for sale.
The couple drove over three hours with the intention of purchasing the vehicle, a trip from which they would never return.
Their family grew worried when they failed to return to babysit their grandchildren and reported them missing. The search ended tragically when their bodies were discovered in a wooded area in Telfair County. They had both been shot in the head. Their SUV was later found submerged in a nearby pond. Investigators quickly determined that the classic car was a fabrication, a lure used in a scheme to rob the couple.
The investigation led to the arrest of Ronnie Adrian 'Jay' Towns, a 28-year-old from McRae, who turned himself in accompanied by family members. A cellphone used to contact the Runions was traced to Towns. He was subsequently charged with malice murder, felony murder, and armed robbery in connection with the deaths of Bud and June Runion.
The legal proceedings against Towns were fraught with delays. His initial indictment was thrown out by the Georgia Supreme Court due to issues with the grand jury selection. He was re-indicted in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused further postponements. For nearly a decade, Towns remained in the Telfair County Jail awaiting trial. In a surprising development in April 2024, a person magnet fishing in a creek discovered a. 22-caliber rifle, as well as a bag containing the Runions' driver's licenses, credit cards, and a cellphone, breathing new life into the case.
Finally, in November 2024, nearly ten years after the murders, Jay Towns pleaded guilty to two counts of malice murder. In exchange for his plea, several other charges were dropped. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The resolution brought a long-awaited sense of peace to the Runion family, who remembered June and Bud as devout individuals dedicated to helping others through their ministry.
