$5,000 reward offered by Russell County in case of Tuskegee man found shot dead in car trunk
The Russell County Sheriff’s Office is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the shooting death of 32-year-old Shawn Dorn of Tuskegee, Ala.
Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor made the announcement Sunday morning.
“We have some success with rewards in the past,” Taylor said.
Dorn’s body was found Saturday in the trunk of a 2003 Lincoln Town Car that had been abandoned in the yard of a residence on Cobb Street in Hurtsboro, Ala.
The car was nose-down in a culvert.
The people living at that location called the sheriff’s office and said they had no knowledge of the car or how it got on the property.
Taylor said the shooting death does not appear to be connected to two male bodies recently found in Macon County.
The Macon County Sheriff’s Office is aiding the Russell County investigation led by Lt. Jarrod Barr.
Dorn worked construction and was employed by East Alabama Paving Company in Opelika, Ala.
Taylor said the vehicle in which his body was found belonged to Dorn. It had been purchased for him by his girlfriend, and he had just applied for a tag on Friday.
The sheriff said his investigators are staying in close contact with the girlfriend as well as his mother and sister.
Taylor said there is no reason to believe drugs were involved at this time.
He also said he believes residents of the area have no need for fear as this was likely an “isolated incident.”
Taylor said the car is being processed at his office as investigators check for DNA and fingerprints.
Taylor said the body likely will be sent for an autopsy.
He said this is the first homicide of the year in Russell County outside of Phenix City.
“Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this,” Taylor said. “We will bring closure to his family.”
Larry Gierer: 706-571-8581, @lagierer
This story was originally published November 19, 2017 at 12:57 PM with the headline "$5,000 reward offered by Russell County in case of Tuskegee man found shot dead in car trunk."