Dead Body Found in Passenger Seat After Driver Pulled Over in Georgia Traffic Stop, Police Say

A body was found in the passenger seat of a vehicle after a driver was pulled over during a traffic stop in Georgia on the night of Wednesday, Jan. 29, police say.

According to a Feb. 3 news release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, per local news outlet atlantanewsfirst.com, the discovery was made when deputies conducted a traffic stop near Thornton Road and Interstate 20.

As noted by the authorities, after the unidentified driver was pulled over, the body of the deceased passenger, identified as Malachi A. Mitchell, was found inside the vehicle. Per Fox 5 Atlanta, he was 21-years-old.

In their statement, the sheriff’s office said that the Criminal Investigations Division and Crime Scene Unit immediately responded to the scene and conducted a thorough investigation.

The driver reportedly “cooperated with the investigation” after being transported to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, per atlantanewsfirst.com.

“The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office was briefed on the facts of the case as we had received them. After initial questioning, the driver was released pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation,” the news release said.

According to the sheriff’s office, per the outlet, the incident has resulted in “threats” against the driver’s family, requiring the department to have “heightened patrol efforts and surveillance, with patrol deputies and the Special Operations Division.”

Although the investigation is still “active and ongoing,” the sheriff’s department has stated that they will not release any additional information at this moment to maintain “the integrity of the investigation and safety of the individuals.”

The department said that after the investigation was complete, it would be turned over to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office “for review and/or prosecution.”

Malachi’s mother, Kenya Mitchell, shared with Fox 5 Atlanta that her son was “a strong, level-headed, kind, caring man.”

She told the outlet that she believed he was conducting a legal, private gun sale with the unidentified driver at the time of the incident.

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PEOPLE reached out to Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Douglas County District Attorney’s Office for comment.