Body found buried in Columbus backyard suspected to be missing woman, coroner says

A body found buried in the backyard of a Carriage Drive home Wednesday evening is suspected to be a Columbus woman who has been missing since November 2021, according to the Muscogee County Coroner’s Office.

The body was found in a hole about 5 feet deep, and the remains have not yet been identified, Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Charles Newton told the Ledger-Enquirer.

The body was found behind a house on the 2000 block of Carriage Drive. According to Muscogee County tax records, the home is owned by Julie M. Catron and Clarence L. Catron II.

The Columbus Police Department issued a missing persons alert about a Julie Marie Catron on June 10. Police said then she may have traveled from Columbus to Destin, Fla., or Crestview, Fla., in November 2021.

The woman’s body will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 7:49 PM.

Nick Wooten

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Nick Wooten is the Accountability/Investigative reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer where he is responsible for covering several topics, including Georgia politics. His work may also appear in the Macon Telegraph. Nick was given the Georgia Press Association’s 2021 Emerging Journalist award for his coverage of elections, COVID-19 and Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community. Before joining McClatchy, he worked for The (Shreveport La.) Times covering city government and investigations. He is a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.