Justin Gaines Missing From Gwinnett County GA: Unidentified Remains Found Near Last Sighting
Norcross, GA– On Nov. 2nd 2007 Justin Gaines called his friend for a ride home from Wild Bill’s in Duluth, GA. Justin’s friend had already returned home for the evening and was unable to pick him up.
Justin Gaines was never seen or heard from again. This afternoon, just off Jimmy Carter Parkway, on Forest Vale Rd, human remains were found less than 7 miles from where Justin Gaines was last seen in Gwinnett County, GA.
The remains have been transported to the Medical Examiner but a positive Identification has not been made. It is unkown at this time if the discovery is indeed related to Justin Gaine’s disappearance.
Check back to blinkoncrime.com for updates.
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How utterly sad. He, his family and friends are in my prayers.
Oh, sad. Do we know how old he was? Sympathy to his family…
Justin was 18 at the time of his disappearance, this has not been confirmed to be him though.
Justin is the first case I ever worked on, and if this is confirmed to be him, I will publish my profile of his killer. I have always felt if I were able to do that that everyone in the periphery would yell out, “That’s So and So” I knew it! He offered me a ride home one night but he skeeved me out..
Prayers-
B
How sad! From whaty I;ve seen though “they” are saying the remains are liekly that of a female. NO indication of why they think that. Either way though I hope you can publish your profile sooner than later…maybe that could help solve the case.
Peace to whomever’s family is about to recieve this awful news.
I will give that some thought Sandy, Justin was a big strong kid, if it is bone size leaning them in the direction of a female, it is not likely him anyway. Prayers to the family that is about to get this news.
B
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Justin was an 18yo college student out at a bar (with two fake IDs) one of seven children from a loving family…
This is always a shock when we know, deeply KNOW it could have been one of ours.
Dear god, when is this going to stop?
No, but I very much think someone wanted him to be at least for the evening.
B
OMG, Can it be almost 2 years to the night that Justin walked out of Wild Bill’s to never be seen again….that I click on Blink and find Erika and Steve might finally have resolution. Small world Blink, I, am from the area where the Wilson’s and family live. I must go read local news. Poor Erika has been to hell and back never once not praying that Justin would be brought home.
http://www.justingaines.com
I am guessing Word Girl inquired about whether the earring meant anything.
The remains are said to be several months old and foul play is suspected.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/21896057/detail.html
How very sad that his family has been wondering where he is and what happened to him for two years now. My prayers go out to the family of whomever this is. And so close to the holidays. So sad!
The remains are not confirmed as female yet (but they are leaning that way).
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/remains-found-in-gwinnett-230884.html
I am praying for the person who was found. Dear child of God, you are no longer lost. May God have much mercy on your family.
Is it possible that it might be Kristi Cornwell, who was abducted while talking to her boyfriend on her cell phone?
I thought about that. I would say it is, at least possible.
B
Hi, Suz,
I wasn’t enquiring about the earring. I just PM’ed Blink to ask a question.
The question was rather unformed in my mind and I just had an intuitive sense about the perpetrator, but I certainly don’t have any idea what happened to this young man. I don’t know if you saw my other post–I’ve got a son and daughter–and I wrote this:
“Justin was an 18yo college student out at a bar (with two fake IDs) one of seven children from a loving family…This is always a shock when we know, deeply KNOW it could have been one of ours.”
Imagine–I’m quoting myself! Time to get a new hobby? LOL
I am going to address this in my profile of the perp when I can get to it. WG was asking a question about Justin’s sexual orientation that has just come up in another comment on here, thus why I am addressing it. Justin was definitely not gay but it is my opinion that what happened to Justin was based on advances someone made to him by someone who is gay, but not openly. Justin would not have put himself in the situation had he known this about this individual.
B
Is this the only available thread for Justin ? Or should I ask , was Justin’s case followed as Morgan Harrington’s has been and I am missing it . Maybe it was too early with your inception of this site to follow as you do in the present .
Blink you have been sitting on a profile on this case for two years , no way girl . Right or wrong turn it loose as my gut tells me ( first case ) you were head first and hell bound . I am completely blind to even the name (shamefully) of Justin and I had an immediate reaction when seeing Justin’s picture .
I would bet my mountain top abode the SIKO responsible for this young mans disappearance either thought Justin was Gay , fantasized about Justin being gay or put him in a “gay” situation Justin wanted no part of and so on so on . Don’t want to go to deep as this wound has just opened back up for this family and the person responsible for this is a SIKO in the form of PERV with well hidden homosexual tendencies and I boldly say that from knowing nothing other that a face in a pic .
Right or wrong B I swear after two years any little spark is worth lighting .
Respectfully
Dakota
I had not thought of it that way Dakota. Point taken. Let me dust off my older files and get back to you on here.
B
b: although i do not and can not profile anything…i feel the same way about Morgan as it seems you do about Justin. yes, i have heard of plenty of kids, way too many, that have gone missing but when i had heard about Morgan, i just knew that i was going to get involved. something hit my heart.
my thoughts and prayers go out to his family this holiday season. i pray that all this stops one day and these families have the peace they need and the victims have the peace they deserve.
Thank you for acting on your “call to action” on Morgan’s behalf.
B
mjh, it hadn’t occurred to me that it could be Kristi. I guess I had her in NC where the trail last led LE. Did you notice that coincidentally with these remains being found, the GBI released a sketch of the possible perp in her case? http://www.ajc.com/news/dozens-of-tips-come-232360.html
That would put her awfully close to the BF- no?
B
Word Girl, I was just guessing (based on Blink’s response) that you had asked whether Justin were gay, based perhaps on the earring.
Once again I sit here feeling sick to my stomach. This is when I throw out all of my faith and secretly wish there were a real life “Dexter” out there preying on those who prey on our innocent families. Why haven’t we figured out how to hunt them down as they have us. God be with each and EVERY one of these families. There are too many and it is too overwhelming. Today a family will hear dreadful news and their lives changed forever- may they find peace and strength and may they be covered in support and love from others. I don’t expect everyone to share my beliefs, but I believe justice will only be served for these evil doers when they meet their maker. I am not free from sin and I too have things to answer for, but I surely would rather be in my shoes than theirs in the end. Blink- you are amazing- I will continue to tell you. Each and every case you work on brings something new to my life and opens my eyes to what is really going on in our world. I thank you for reminding me to cherish my family and to stop and enjoy every second (good and bad) that we go through together each day.
Christy Cornwell disappeared from Blairsville, GA. How far is that from where the remains were found in Duluth?
Blink outted my question, but I have to say I didn’t wonder because of his earring.
Goodness, if you knew my hometown…kids are pierced like colanders here. No, it was just that he has such a wholesome, strong, happy affect which would appeal to some homosexual men.
Appeal to them for a relationship or encounter, if he was interested in them. However, he could also be prey for one sick and perverted monster. As Blink said, prey for a maladjusted someone who wanted him to be of their persuasion for a night. When that backfired, because Justin resisted, and something bad went down. Not saying it was intentional, but was likely rage-induced.
This was straight off the cuff from first viewing of his photo and knowing he’d been to a bar and asked a friend for a ride home. FWIW!
Blink, I dont understand. Why couldn’t you publish your profile long ago aside from leaving names out of the equasion? What’s stopping you now?
I have never covered the case before, I need to revisit it, fact check it and then I shall.
I should note I spoke directly to GBI and the PI Justin’s family hired when I developed it, they have this information.
B
Blink, as always thanks for keeping the focus on the lost, makes my heart heavy for all these victims.
NoseyRosey, you said exactly what I was feeling. A while back Michael Douglas made a movie called “The Star Chamber”, ever since I saw that movie I felt the same way. It just is not fair what is happening to our children.
Blink, thank you for all you do for victims without a voice.
# Comment by suz — December 9, 2009 @ 11:32 am
mjh, it hadn’t occurred to me that it could be Kristi. I guess I had her in NC where the trail last led LE. Did you notice that coincidentally with these remains being found, the GBI released a sketch of the possible perp in her case? http://www.ajc.com/news/dozens-of-tips-come-232360.html
That would put her awfully close to the BF- no?
B
Are you saying Kristi’s BF? as that was my first thought when I saw the news story……
Yes
B
According to his website, the body was confirmed to not be his.
The website says “Rumors of a body found was confirmed NOT to be Justin.” Looking around the website, this could be old. It doesn’t give a date for that rumor.
The website does not seem to have a lot of updated information…
Christi was walking a small back road in rural mountains about a mile as the crow flies from my home. She was in all probability taken the few miles into N. Carolina. Her cell phone was found thrown out beside a road that was indicative of the perp heading towards NC. The back roads that were taken is indicative that whoever took her knew the area, because they took a back route. This is a very sparsely populated area. Christi’s family has lived there for several generations.
Duluth is near where Justin disappeared, probably greater than 75 miles, so I doubt it is Christi. But, Blink, if you remember 2 weeks before or after Justin stepped out of Wild Bill’s and was never seen again….about 2.5 hrs away Kyle Fleishman also stepped outside a nightclub, left his coat on the back of the chair…and was never seen again. Justin was an all American guy, first semester of collage. This nightclub has a teen area and Justin had been going there for several years, was well known to the crowd there. There is video of him arriving and leaving. He did not appear to be under the influence of drugs, or heavily intoxicated. He talked to a guard outside, was using his cell to try to get a ride home. His friends had driven him there, but did not have a special pass to get in so they left. He had a girlfriend and was definitely not gay.
You can find plenty of online information about Justin and Kyle. There were never any leads. I understood Erika, Justin’s mother formed an organization to help families deal with the immediate needs of getting info out on the missing. JustinTime I want to say it was.
Sadly when a grown person goes missing the critical time to get information out is not done. God bless these families in their time of need.
#19 Shawna- Blairsville and Duluth are not that close but not that far either really. Maybe 1.5 hours depending on how you drive. It isn’t impossible that it could be her but it would seem like an odd place. Blairsville is basically headed into the mountains and is much more remote than Duluth. But, I will say that Duluth is very accessible by highway, Wild Bill’s is more or less just off the highway. And, it is a pretty straight shot up to Blairsville.
I grew up in Gwinnett County and still have family there. I remember when he first went missing there were fliers everywhere, you do still see them up in the area. But, news coverage seemed to fall off fast. And, I keep looking for updates on this remains story that was in the AJC but still haven’t seen anything. It’s sad – no real leads, at least that the public seems to be aware of in Justin’s case.
Conversely this was in the paper about Kristi Cornwell’s case just a couple of days ago.
http://www.ajc.com/news/dozens-of-tips-come-232360.html
Same county, I mean.
Sorry for double posts, B! :O)
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/more-skeletal-remains-found-236756.html
FWIW, Blink.
My link wasn’t working, so here is the text of an article. More remains found in Gwinnett County:
Human remains found in Suwanee
by Jason Wrightwrite the authorDecember 10, 2009 | 02:08 PM
What police believe is a human skeleton was found Dec. 10 off Old Peachtree Road near Lawrenceville Suwanee Road in Suwanee.
Investigators said the identity of the remains are unknown, and that it appeared the body had been there for several months. At this time, police said it could be homicide.
Police said a demolition crew was removing an abandoned mobile home off Old Peachtree Road at about 8:30 a.m. when workers found what appeared to be a human skeleton underneath it. The mobile home, which was in the woods, was to be torn down for road construction, said investigators.
The workers called 911, and officer soon arrived. They confirmed the remains looked human, at which time the scene was marked off.
County crime scene investigators, detectives and personnel from the Medical Examiners Office processed the scene, and the skeletal remains were collected and transported to the Gwinnett County Police Department morgue.
Gwinnett homicide investigators are requesting help from the public. Any persons with information about the incident or knowledge of the identity of the deceased are strongly encouraged to call Gwinnett County Police at 770-513-5300. Information can also be relayed through Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).
Anonymous tips are welcome and could lead to a monetary reward of up to $2,000.
Blink
Check this out, is this a second body found in Gwinnett County?
I know, I have been on the phone all afternoon. What are the chances 2 in one area?
B
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/more-skeletal-remains-found-236756.html
Shelly #2
The similarities you point out between Justin and Kyle’s dissapearence are alarming .
I see Gwinnett County is a regular bone yard. Here are the human remains found last June http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/Human_Remains_Found_in_Gwinnett_County_063009
This one (from July) refers to “the second set of human bones found this week” http://www.wjhg.com/regional/headlines/49866957.html
What, do they always find skeletons in pairs in Gwinnett (like the double N and double T in the name)?
Just…wild.
Hi Blink,
I think 2 in one area means probably more than two in that area. Who lived in the mobile home? Anyone know?
There is pockets of highly rural, but I agree. One of the major problems with mobile homes on either leased or loaned land, they are very, very hard to track. Purposelly in some situations.
B
I’d never heard of Kyle until this commentary but after doing some quick google searches, it appears his story will be featured on AMW this saturday. Here is the link: http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/missing-30280-elon-featured.html
I know this is far fetched, but stories like Justin’s are becoming way too common. Missing young men. I know the ‘smiley face’ killer/s are not proven yet it’s hard to dismiss. For some reason, Brian Shaffer comes to mind. His story has haunted me for a long time. Most of these cases involve men who were with friends, at a bar and become seperated.
It’s not just women who need to be aware of their environment and who they hang with.
From Justins website:
On November 2, 2007, 18 year-old Justin Gaines disappeared from Duluth, Georgia. On the night he went missing, he met friends at a local nightspot (for ages 18 and up), and was last heard from via cell phone while attempting to find a ride home. While the search is still actively open, and hope still abounds, local authorities, family and friends believe that Justin may have been robbed, and subsequently left at the spot in which the crime took place.
During the first weeks, the family faced the most difficult times of their lives. Because nothing can prepare you for this, you learn ?as you go? what to do and how to maximize search and funding efforts. However, perhaps one of the most daunting elements to their overall efforts was that fact that Justin was 18 years old, and therefore no longer considered a ?youth?. Forget that fact that he had just gone off to college, and that he came home most weekends to be with his family. Forget that he had only been out of high school for 6 months. In the eyes of the law, he was an adult, and therefore, the efforts to find him were much more minimal in scope. Because Justin disappeared from a ?nightspot? where most college kids his age still spend their Thursday nights (the club?s slogan for this weekly event is ?18 to party, 21 to drink?), there was also an air about the investigation that suggested he left on his own accord or ran off after a late night out. Despite family and friends testimony to the contrary, and despite the fact that his car and wallet were still at home, that ?air? remained well past the first month of the initial police investigation. Once authorities admitted that this was ?no longer a likely scenario?, valuable time had passed.
Thankfully, and despite the lackluster initial concerns of the local county law enforcement agency, this family had a ground swell of support, due in part to the community in which they lived, and due to the huge circle of friends that gregarious and outgoing Justin had formed. National and local search organizations were contacted, community organizers & fundraisers appeared, an unbelievably caring Private Investigator stepped in at no charge, and Justin?s large extended family flocked to Georgia from other states. Although today Justin is still missing, and the search continues, his family feels compelled to help others.
Armed with valuable knowledge and a national network, Erika and Steven Wilson founded the Justin Time Foundation for Missing Teens and Young Adults to both honor their beloved son, and to help others families maximize the first 14 days of an investigation into their missing loved ones.
With Hope,
Erika and Steven Wilson
. When Steven played the song I knew why he wanted me to hear it. It is certainly song we can relate with and as I listen to it now my tears flow and my heart aches so much. My pain is so real and is never goes away. This is a song called The Tin Man by Kenny Chesney.
The Tin Man
————-
Saw a man in the movies that didn’t have a heart
How I wish I could give him mine
Then I wouldn’t have to feel it breaking all apart
And this emptiness inside would suit me fine
It’s times like these
I wish I were the tin man
You could hurt me all you wanted
I’d never even know
Well…I’d give anything just to be the tin man
And I wouldn’t have a heart and I wouldn’t need a soul
I couldn’t see your leavin’ comin’
It took me by surprise
Even now still seems like a dream
But I know I can’t be dreamin’
‘Cause as I lay down each night
The pain’s so great that it won’t let me sleep
It’s times like these
I wish I were the tin man
You could hurt me all you wanted
I’d never even know
Well..I’d give anything just to be the tin man
And I wouldn’t have a heart and I wouldn’t need a soul
Well I’d give anything just to be the tin man
And I wouldn’t have a heart and I wouldn’t miss you so.
With Hope and Love,
Erika and Steven Wilson
So that is four bodies found in a year in Gwinnett County? Did they ever identify either of the earlier ones?
Would the same perp would leave one body under a mobile home (buried or not), and the other behind a tree (or wherever a guy and his dog would find it)? (I actually have no idea if murderers are usually consistent with where they dump multiple victims—are they?)
Karma, one set of remains belonged to an 80 year old man who wandered off…
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Gwinnett County investigators have positively identified the skeleton remains found on July 2 to be the remains of Jean Laguerre, who went missing almost a year ago.
On Aug. 13, 2008, Gwinnett police responded to a missing persons report at Laguerre’s home on Melrose Woods Court in Lawrenceville.
Laguerre’s daughter reported that her 80-year-old father was sitting on the front porch of the residence when she went inside of the house for a period of time. She returned to find her father gone.
Family members and friends searched the surrounding area for two hours before calling police.
The family and The Alzheimer’s Association believe Laguerre suffered from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. He also took daily medications for high blood pressure.
Investigators found the remains in a wooded area near Cassina Court. There does not appear to be any signs of foul play. The Medical Examiners office is still in the process of determining the cause of death.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/met…nnett_man.html
The other set of remains (found last june or july) belonged to a 38 y.o. suicide.
8/6/2009 12:01:00 AM
Bones ID’d as those of Dacula man
By Heath Hamacher
Staff Writer
DACULA – Skeletal remains found in a wooded area near Drowning Creek Road and Tanner Road on June 29 have been identified as those of Scott Spalding of Dacula.
Spalding, 38, was reported missing on Aug. 5, 2000.
The remains – found by tree service employees working on the property – were quickly ruled out through dental records as being those of Justin Gaines, a college student missing since 2007.
Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Illana Spellman said it was also dental records, through the military, that confirmed the remains as Spalding’s.
“Mr. Spalding died of a single gunshot wound from a handgun located at the scene,” Spellman said. “The Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled Mr. Spalding’s death a suicide.”
The Gwinnett police Cold Case Unit had been working the case.
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=84&ArticleID=62926
Newest remains under the trailer have been identified. 48 yr old male with schizophrenia who wandered off in spring. http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/relatives-surprised-at-discovery-238177.html
Blink, have you seen the latest missing mom news out of Utah? Susan M. Powell. Husband is acting suspicous, decided to take the kids camping in the middle of the night day before she is reported missing. Odd fellow. Deeper look shows he filed for chapter 7 bk in 07 and that husband and wife own several townhomes together. He is also a realtor, so I would guess that evidence is going to show up in other people’s homes.
So at least half of the human remains found in Gwinnett County in 2009 were people who had wandered off and died. Maybe that happens more than I realize.
Susan, both NG and JVM covered that Powell story. Yeesh, poor hubby couldn’t even think up a plausible scenario. I’m guessing he killed her accidentally (during a fight or something) and dumped her out in that desert before the snowfall. Wonder if they’ll find her before spring.
Within 36 hours they will have a confession or her remains. I would like to smack the snot out of these Ahole hubbies that think they are smarter than any other ahole hubby that ends up in prison with their kids orphaned. Prayers to the Powell Family. Senseless.
B
Blink, I think you are absolutely right. I keep picturing a “balloon boy” like appearance on a morning show where the dad says to the kids, We went camping, right? And the kid says “Yeah. First daddy wrapped mommy up in a rug, then we dwove awound in the snow. Then daddy wolled something down a big ravine, wheee! Then we had s’mores.” (then he barfs)
Ugh. Yep. Barf.
B
I wish there were some sort of psychometric for determining the depth of a person’s capacity for devaluing human life. I think in most of these husband murderer cases, they see the wife as having no value other than that which they receive from wife. And when that value is gone, boom. So is wife. Tragic. Those poor little boys.