A hardworking and creative young man, Zachary Brandon Smith was remembered by his family for his fierce loyalty and his talent for building things with his hands. The 19-year-old male was a graduate of Putnam County High School, where he was active in ROTC. After graduating, he put his skills to work in his father's construction business, building docks and seawalls.
His father, Christian Fricks, remembered him as a good, hardworking kid who loved welding and blacksmithing and dreamed of one day taking over the company. His older sister, Alexandria, said that as they grew up, he became her best friend. She described him as devoted to her and their younger sister, saying, "She has a great guardian angel now. I can only imagine what he'll do up there when he did down here."
On the afternoon of Friday, October 9, 2026, Zachary was near Rooty Creek in a rural area of Putnam County, Georgia, about eight miles south of Eatonton. According to the Putnam County Sheriff, the shooting happened around 4:30 p.m. upstream from the bridge on Pea Ridge Road, at a spot known as Flat Rock. Later that evening, a woman who had grown concerned after not hearing from Zachary went to the creek to look for him. At approximately 6:40 p.m., she discovered his body and called 911. When deputies arrived, they found Zachary partially in the water, deceased from multiple rifle wounds to his chest.
The investigation by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office moved quickly. Sheriff Howard Sills stated that a witness to the shooting came forward and identified the perpetrator and an accomplice. The witness also described their vehicle, a red Dodge SUV. Using license plate reader cameras, investigators traced the vehicle to Joshua David Ludwick, 38, of Madison, Georgia. Within hours, warrants were issued for him and his son.
With assistance from the Morgan and Walton County Sheriff’s Offices, Putnam County deputies converged on residences in Madison around 10:45 p.m. that same night. Sheriff Sills said he spoke with Joshua Ludwick on the phone before arriving, and the father was waiting for deputies across the street from the house where his son was. Joshua Ludwick was taken into custody and, according to the sheriff, was cooperative and "actually been of assistance." His son, Michael David Ludwick, 20, was identified as the shooter. He did not immediately surrender and had to be "forcibly subdued" inside the residence before being arrested.
Michael Ludwick was charged with murder. His father, Joshua Ludwick, was charged with murder as a party to the crime for allegedly driving his son from the scene. In Georgia, being a party to the crime carries the same murder charge as for the principal actor. Both men were booked into the Putnam County Jail and made their first court appearance on the following Monday, where they were denied bond, as only a Superior Court judge can set bond on a murder charge. Sheriff Sills described the possible motive as an "insignificant discord" but emphasized the investigation was ongoing. Two days after the shooting, the Baldwin County Public Safety Dive Team recovered a rifle from Rooty Creek that investigators believed to be the murder weapon.
Zachary's sister Alexandria last saw her brother about an hour before he was killed. Reflecting on his final moments, she said, "I think it's a bit peaceful to know that I know he was fighting. I know he was doing everything he could to come home." His family's search for answers began as the legal process against the two men accused of his murder got underway.
As of the latest reports in October 2026, the investigation was still considered active. Michael and Joshua Ludwick were being held in the Putnam County Jail awaiting further court proceedings. The case was proceeding through the justice system.
