Columbus police probe death of activist & catalyst in city finance investigation
Columbus police are probing the death of the activist who was the catalyst for Mayor Skip Henderson requesting an investigation the city’s finance department, which led to two arrests last week.
James Nathan Smith, 49, was found unresponsive on a living room floor Wednesday evening with a gunshot wound to the chest area, the Columbus Police Department announced Thursday.
Officers and emergency medical services responded to the call in the 6400 block of Old Post Court at 7:29 p.m., but EMS could not resuscitate Smith, according to CPD’s news release. Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Elizabeth Allison pronounced him dead.
CPD public information officer Brittany Santiago confirmed Friday to the Ledger-Enquirer that the residence was Smith’s home.
Coroner Buddy Bryan told the Ledger-Enquirer his office responded to Smith’s death, and that Smith died by suicide.
CPD said it was awaiting the official ruling from the medical examiner’s office following the autopsy. Bryan told reporters Friday that those results came back and confirmed Smith died by suicide.
In Thursday’s news release, CPD said its Violent Crimes Unit was called to the scene to take the lead on the death investigation, but preliminary indicators suggested Smith had a “possible self-inflicted injury.”
“Investigators are following up on all leads and will make a further determination once all evidence has been processed and reviewed,” the release says. “As with all investigations, we remain committed to a thorough and unbiased review of the facts.”
Despite Smith’s cause of death being confirmed Friday, Santiago told the Ledger-Enquirer that CPD’s investigation of his death still is active.
Nathan Smith’s ties to investigation into city’s finance department
The initial investigation by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, which led to further probing of the Columbus Consolidated Government Finance Department, began Jan. 2, 2024, when City Manager Isaiah Hugley requested an inquiry after his personal business tax information, a spreadsheet of Hugley’s facility management, was leaked to the city council.
A second internal investigation into the leaked document began Jan. 24, 2024, at the request of Henderson.
Hugley considered this leak to be illegal, according to an administrative report by MCSO. Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman released the report on social media Thursday morning.
“The original request for Hugley’s business license and tax information was sent from Nathan Smith’s email,” the report says.
The inquiry determined that there was not sufficient evidence showing that Smith’s email was sent by Smith, nor was there a reference to the origin of the leaked document.
Investigators determined that, because the spreadsheet wasn’t descriptive enough to show what the numbers mean, the information wasn’t confidential.
Although no criminal wrongdoing was found regarding the leaked document, once the investigations began, if other criminal activities were noticed in the inquiry of the leak, those crimes would be investigated, according to the administrative report.
During this inquiry, investigators were advised to speak with the city’s internal auditor, Donna McGinnis. She revealed information about whistleblowers and other administrative investigations during the internal audit of the finance department, the sheriff’s report says.
Columbus councilor posts tribute to Nathan Smith
Columbus Councilor Toyia Tucker posted on her Facebook page Thursday a tribute to Smith after learning about his death.
“He didn’t sugarcoat things, and sometimes that ruffled feathers, but it came from a place of deep love for this city and its people,” Tucker wrote. “More than anything, Nathan was a family man. He loved his wife, his kids, and his parents and grandparents with his whole heart. He was a great friend, and I’ll miss him dearly.”
Reporter Kelby Hutchison contributed to this story.
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 11:43 AM.
