Edward Geouge III, a 28-year-old male from China Grove, North Carolina, was found dead on June 9, 2021. His body was discovered near a crashed Honda vehicle on Saw Road. Initially, the incident appeared to be a fatal car crash, but further investigation revealed that Geouge had died from a gunshot wound. The Rowan County Sheriff's Office quickly identified the case as a homicide and began investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Geouge's vehicle was found overturned in a
field after running off the road and striking a fence. The North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the scene and discovered Geouge's body partially outside the vehicle. The medical examiner's report confirmed that Geouge had been fatally shot, prompting detectives to treat the incident as a murder investigation.
Detectives soon identified Rene Oscar Gomez Jr. as a suspect in the case. Gomez, who goes by the name "Junior," lived on Saw Road but also had addresses in Durham and Charlotte. He was arrested the day after Geouge's body was found on an unrelated charge. Warrants were obtained for Gomez's other arrests, and he was subsequently charged with murder in connection with Geouge's death. Gomez is currently being held in Rowan County without bond.
Geouge was born in Mecklenburg County and had two children, Jeremiah and Titus, with his wife, Victoria. The couple met while attending Mt. Pleasant High School and lived in Kannapolis at the time of his death. Geouge worked as a car painter and mechanic. The investigation into his murder is ongoing, and detectives continue to seek information from the public to help solve the case.
