Arrest Made in Connection with Woman in Burned Car Case

Athens-Clarke County Police said an arrest has been made in the investigation of the murder of an Atlanta woman whose remains were found in a burned car earlier this week.

Police said in a news release Rodricus Deuntay Ward, 25, of Greensboro, was arrested on a separate firearm-related charge after he was interviewed in connection with the Wednesday morning discovery of Darla Gibbons of Atlanta on Winterville Road in Athens.

Ward is in the Greene County jail for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He is Gibbons’ former boyfriend, according to news reports.

WSB-TV reported Gibbons was found near a rock quarry less than a mile from her mother’s home in Athens, and the shooting likely occurred at another location. The station reported she was last seen Monday while working at an Atlanta-area Car Max.

She was an Athens native and a graduate of Cedar Shoals High School, the AJC reported.

“So far, the evidence strongly suggests that this crime was likely committed by an offender who was familiar with the victim,” Athens police said in the news release. “This was not a random act of violence.”

Anyone with information on this case can contact Det. Charles Ivey at 706-613-3330 ext. 337 or the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 706-613-3342.