In the late afternoon of June 26, 2024, a verbal dispute in the carport of a Troup County, Georgia, residence escalated into a fatal encounter. Clayton Bartlett, a 51-year-old Caucasian male, was shot and killed during the argument. When deputies from the Troup County Sheriff's Office arrived at the home in the 3800 block of Hogansville Road around 5 p.m., they found Bartlett with a fatal gunshot wound to the torso.
A woman at the scene was attempting to render aid.
The investigation quickly revealed that the shooter had fled the scene in a truck with a female companion. However, in a surprising turn of events, the truck and its two occupants returned to the residence a short time later. Authorities were on the scene and promptly took both individuals into custody without any further incident. The man who had been in a verbal altercation with Bartlett was identified as 53-year-old Timothy Dewayne Burns.
During the course of their investigation, detectives determined that Burns had shot Bartlett with a shotgun during their argument. Consequently, Timothy Dewayne Burns was arrested and charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The woman who fled with Burns and later returned to the scene was identified as 56-year-old Cynthia Vayda. She was also arrested and is facing charges of making false statements and writings, as well as tampering with evidence. The investigation into the death of Clayton Bartlett is still ongoing.
