In the winter of 2023, a chain of events beginning with a tragic hit-and-run in Newton County, Georgia, culminated in the death of a Jasper County man. The man at the center of the investigation was James Jenkins, a 50-year-old white male from Monticello. His death, which occurred on February 27, 2023, brought a somber end to a case that had left a family grieving and a community seeking answers.
The preceding month, on the night of January 30, 2023, Deanna Mattheus, a 44-year-old mother
of seven, was walking along Georgia Highway 36 in Covington when she was struck and killed by a vehicle that fled the scene. Investigators from the Newton County Sheriff's Office worked diligently to piece together the evidence. Debris left at the scene pointed them toward a Ford vehicle with damage to its front passenger side.
Through their investigation, authorities identified James Jenkins as the primary suspect in the fatal hit-and-run. However, before an arrest could be made, deputies in neighboring Jasper County made a grim discovery. On February 27, 2023, James Jenkins was found deceased in Monticello from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The discovery of Jenkins's body effectively closed the investigation into the death of Deanna Mattheus. With the sole suspect deceased, there would be no arrest or trial. The case concluded, leaving behind a story of two lives tragically cut short and the profound impact on their families and the surrounding communities.
