In the early morning hours of July 24, 1993, in Brunswick, Georgia, Cheryl Lewrisey Coleman, a female, and her two-month-old son, Jamar'ee, left her brother's residence. Despite an offer for a ride, Cheryl decided to walk. They were last seen at a gas station at the corner of Newcastle and O Streets, where they accepted a ride in a pickup truck driven by a man named Carl Harris. This decision led to a tragic and horrifying outcome.
Six hours later, at approximately 9:00 a.m., Cheryl's nude and mutilated body was discovered in Academy Creek, a body of water known to be infested with snakes and alligators, located several blocks from her brother's home. Her death was quickly ruled a homicide by authorities. At the scene, investigators found Jamar'ee's baby carrier and a blanket, but the infant was nowhere to be found.
The investigation into Cheryl's murder led police to Carl Harris, who was subsequently arrested. Harris confessed to the brutal crime, admitting that he had taken Cheryl and her son to a wooded area on Homer Wilson Way on Andrews Island. He stated that he strangled Cheryl before mutilating her body. Until his sentencing, Harris denied any responsibility for the disappearance of Jamar'ee, whose body has never been recovered. He claimed he left the baby at the edge of Academy Creek after placing Cheryl's body in the water. It is widely believed that the infant was swept away by the high tides.
Carl Harris pleaded guilty to the murders of both Cheryl and Jamar'ee Coleman and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition to these horrific crimes, Harris also confessed to the murder of Essie Marie Dowdy, whose body was found in a drainage ditch in November 1993, and an attack on another woman, Rhonda Baskin, in October of that same year. Prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty in exchange for his guilty pleas. Harris, who was described as being borderline mentally retarded and in poor health, had a prior criminal record that included convictions for armed robbery, aggravated assault with intent to rape, escape, and burglary.
