Carl Harris: The Brunswick, Georgia Serial Killer
Background
Carl Harris was an American murderer whose known crimes took place in and around Brunswick, Georgia, during the early 1990s. Records identify Harris as having been born in 1936 in Wayne County, Georgia. By the time investigators connected him to a series of killings in 1993, he already had a criminal history that included burglary, assault, and escape. His confirmed victims included a young mother, her infant son, and another woman murdered several months later.
The crimes associated with Harris were concentrated around Brunswick and Glynn County. His victims were vulnerable people whom he encountered locally, and the circumstances of the murders showed an escalating pattern of extreme violence. Harris eventually admitted responsibility for three murders. Investigators also examined whether he could have been connected to other killings in the Brunswick area, although those additional cases have not been established as his crimes.
The Disappearance of Cheryl Coleman and Her Infant Son
During the early morning hours of July 24, 1993, 33-year-old Cheryl Lewrisey Coleman was visiting her brother in Brunswick with her infant son, Jamaree Clarence Coleman. Jamaree was only about two months old. At approximately 3:00 a.m., Cheryl decided to leave her brother's residence and walk home with the baby. Her brother offered them a ride, but Cheryl declined.
Cheryl and Jamaree were subsequently seen at a gas station near Newcastle and O Streets in Brunswick. There, the mother and child got into a pickup truck being driven by Carl Harris, who was acquainted with Cheryl. It was the last confirmed sighting of Cheryl alive and the last confirmed sighting of Jamaree.
Harris drove Cheryl and her baby toward a secluded area around Homer Wilson Way on Andrews Island. Cheryl was violently attacked and killed. Her body was discovered later that morning near Academy Creek. Reports concerning the investigation describe her body as having been stripped and mutilated before being left near the water. Her infant son's carrier and blanket were also discovered, but Jamaree himself was nowhere to be found.
When investigators later questioned Harris, he admitted killing Cheryl. He claimed that he had left Jamaree alive beside the creek. Authorities did not accept that explanation as proof that the infant survived. Harris was charged with Jamaree's murder as well and ultimately pleaded guilty. Despite extensive attention to the case, the baby's remains were never recovered. Jamaree therefore remains a missing child in official missing-person records, although Harris was convicted in connection with his death and the child is presumed to have died on July 24, 1993.
The Murder of Essie Marie Dowdy
Only four months after Cheryl Coleman was killed and Jamaree disappeared, Harris committed another known murder. On November 29, 1993, 52-year-old Essie Marie Dowdy was killed in Brunswick. Her body was discovered in Greenwood Cemetery, a location that immediately presented investigators with another suspicious and violent death.
Accounts of the investigation state that Dowdy was strangled during the attack. Other case summaries have characterized the killing as involving blunt-force violence as well. What is firmly established is that investigators connected Harris to Dowdy's death and that he confessed to killing her. His admission became particularly important because questioning over Dowdy's murder also helped authorities establish his responsibility for the Coleman cases.
The murder of Dowdy demonstrated that the disappearance and killing of Cheryl and Jamaree had not been an isolated incident. Investigators were now dealing with a man responsible for multiple murders committed within a relatively short period in the same Georgia community.
Confirmed Victims
- Cheryl Lewrisey Coleman — Age 33. Killed on July 24, 1993, in the Brunswick, Georgia area. She and her infant son were last seen entering Carl Harris's pickup truck at a gas station near Newcastle and O Streets. Harris took them toward a secluded area near Homer Wilson Way on Andrews Island. Cheryl was murdered, and her body was found near Academy Creek later that morning.
- Jamaree Clarence Coleman — Approximately two months old. Presumed killed on July 24, 1993, in the Brunswick/Andrews Island area of Glynn County, Georgia. Jamaree disappeared with his mother after they entered Harris's truck. His carrier and blanket were recovered near the area where Cheryl's body was found. His body has never been recovered. Harris pleaded guilty to his murder.
- Essie Marie Dowdy — Age 52. Killed on November 29, 1993, in Brunswick, Georgia. Her body was discovered in Greenwood Cemetery. Harris confessed to murdering Dowdy and was convicted in connection with her death.
Investigation and Confession
Harris came under intense scrutiny after the murder of Essie Dowdy. During questioning, investigators obtained admissions that expanded the case far beyond Dowdy's death. Harris acknowledged responsibility for Cheryl Coleman and provided information about what had happened after she and Jamaree entered his truck.
His statements placed him with Cheryl and Jamaree during the critical period after their disappearance. Physical circumstances also supported the prosecution's case: Cheryl's body was found near Academy Creek, while items belonging to her infant son were recovered nearby. Although Harris maintained that he had left Jamaree beside the creek, the infant was never found.
Harris was also responsible for a violent assault on another woman during the same general period. That victim survived. The combination of the assault, the Dowdy investigation, and Harris's admissions allowed authorities to construct a broader picture of his violent activity in Brunswick during 1993.
Guilty Pleas and Sentence
Rather than proceed through separate murder trials, Harris ultimately entered guilty pleas to three counts of malice murder involving Cheryl Coleman, Jamaree Coleman, and Essie Dowdy. By pleading guilty, Harris avoided the possibility that prosecutors would pursue the death penalty.
Accounts of the case report that Harris received two life sentences without the possibility of parole, together with an additional twenty-year sentence connected to an assault. The convictions ensured that he would remain imprisoned for his crimes.
Possible Additional Victims
Harris has also been discussed in connection with other unsolved deaths from the Brunswick area. One case sometimes associated with him is that of 31-year-old Sandra Joyce Tooley Myers, whose death is recorded as occurring around March 1, 1992. Another unidentified woman, commonly referred to as the Glynn County or Brunswick Jane Doe, was found after a woman's torso was recovered from Academy Creek in 1993.
Those cases should be distinguished from Harris's confirmed murders. Publicly available records do not establish that Harris was convicted of killing either woman, and they therefore should not be presented as confirmed victims. His proven victim count remains three: Cheryl Coleman, Jamaree Coleman, and Essie Dowdy.
The Lasting Mystery of Jamaree Coleman
The most unresolved aspect of the Harris case concerns Jamaree Coleman. Although Harris admitted killing Cheryl and pleaded guilty to the baby's murder, he never provided an account that resulted in the recovery of Jamaree's remains. His assertion that he left the infant alive near Academy Creek created a mystery that has continued long after his conviction.
Authorities and missing-person organizations have continued to recognize Jamaree's disappearance because no remains were located. The circumstances, however, were devastating: a two-month-old child vanished at the same place and time his mother was murdered, his belongings were abandoned near the crime scene, and the man responsible for his mother's death later pleaded guilty to murdering him as well.
Legacy of the Case
Carl Harris's crimes created a short but exceptionally violent series of murders in Brunswick during 1993. The deaths of Cheryl Coleman and Essie Dowdy, together with the presumed death of infant Jamaree Coleman, ultimately resulted in Harris being identified and prosecuted as a multiple murderer. His confessions provided answers about who was responsible, but they did not resolve every question surrounding the crimes.
Above all, the case remains notable because one of Harris's youngest victims was never recovered. Cheryl Lewrisey Coleman was 33 years old when she was killed, Jamaree had lived only a few months, and Essie Marie Dowdy was 52. Their confirmed dates of death or presumed death were July 24, 1993, for Cheryl and Jamaree, and November 29, 1993, for Dowdy. Those three victims form the documented murder cases for which Carl Harris accepted criminal responsibility.
