In the winter of 2022, the community of Citronelle, Alabama, was unsettled by the discovery of a young man's body in a remote industrial area. On the morning of December 15th, the remains of 32-year-old Gilbert Rudolph Bohannon III, a Caucasian male known to his loved ones as 'Scotty,' were found off Smith Road. An investigation by the Mobile County Sheriff's Office would soon reveal a story of familial betrayal and violence that cut deep into the heart of the Georgetown community where
Bohannon resided.
Investigators quickly determined that Bohannon had suffered from multiple gunshot wounds. The evidence suggested a grim narrative: he had likely been killed at a different location on December 14th, his body later discarded along the desolate dirt road where it was ultimately found. The news of his violent death sent ripples of grief and shock through his circle of family and friends, who remembered him as a loving father to three children and an avid outdoorsman with a passion for hunting, fishing, and racing.
The investigation into Bohannon's death soon focused on a suspect surprisingly close to home. Authorities arrested his own cousin, 25-year-old Drayson Stone Kelly, and charged him with murder. At the time the murder charge was brought against him, Kelly was already incarcerated on unrelated harassment charges. Both men were residents of the same Georgetown community, adding another layer of tragedy to the senseless act.
While an arrest was made, the motive behind the killing remained undisclosed by law enforcement, leaving a community to grapple with the unanswered questions of why a man would allegedly take the life of his own cousin. As the legal process against Drayson Stone Kelly began to unfold, those who knew and loved Scotty Bohannon were left to mourn a life cut short and to cherish the memories of a man taken from them far too soon.
