Crime & Safety

News Nearby: DNA Confirms ID of Body Found in Gainesville

The 21-year-old woman was last seen about June of last year and reported missing in September.

DNA tests have confirmed the identity of a body found in nearby Gainesville as that of a woman last seen in Flowery Branch, Ga., according to the Hall County Sheriff's Office. 

Hall County authorities were notified yesterday the body found Oct. 24 in a bathroom space at Chestnut Ridge Park is that of Kayla Nelson, also known as Kayla Weil, 21. She was last seen in or about June, and was reported missing by relatives in September in Flowery Branch, Ga, according to the press release.

Deputies responded to the report of body found about 2 p.m., Oct. 24, at Chestnut Ridge Park in South Hall by a crew that had been contracted to clean up the area. They had discovered what appeared to be human remains wrapped in a blanket inside one of the bathrooms. 

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Chestnut Ridge Park is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property that was closed to the public several years ago. It's currently under long-term lease by Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority, but has remained closed. 

Investigators verified the remains were that of a human, but due the advanced state of decomposition, were unable to determine the person's gender, age or identity. It appeared that the remains had been in place for an extended period of time, the release says. 

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The body was taken to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.  

The case remains under investigation by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Investigations Division. 

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