Information wanted
The Anglin family and Oglethorpe County Sheriff David Gabriel ask that anyone with information regarding Jimmy Anglin’s remains to contact the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office at 706-743-8101.
Jimmy Anglin is never far from his family’s thoughts. Nearly six years after his death, the Anglins catch glimpses of him as they sit around the tree on Christmas mornings and as they continue to celebrate his birthday every year.
Jimmy is remembered by his family and around Oglethorpe County for the impact he had on others.
“People still come up to us in the community and talk about how Jimmy would do anything for anyone,” said Nicole Anglin, Jimmy’s sister-in-law. “If there was any way that he could help you, he was going to help you. Even if it put him in a bad spot.”
Anglin, an Oglethorpe County resident, went missing on Nov. 3, 2017 and was never seen again.
Five years later, on March 30, 2022, Robert David Jordan, Anglin’s cousin and a Banks county resident, was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and concealment of death. Jordan was sentenced to life in prison without parole the following day.
Jordan was arrested on a charge of felony murder on Sept. 16, 2019, following a search of a wooded area behind 4030 Comer Road, his primary residence at the time Anglin went missing. Anglin’s skull was found 457 yards from Jordan’s residence, but the rest of Anglin’s remains are still missing.
“There's still no closure,” Anglin said. “Even though (Robert Jordan) has been arrested, convicted and is serving his time … there's no peace and no closure because there's still a lot of unanswered questions and we have not been able to actually put him to rest.”
The trial included 15 witnesses and more than 100 exhibits, including jail calls where Jordan gave directions to the suspected murder weapon — a Stoeger 12-gauge shotgun — in a wooded area in Banks County. Although the charges didn’t require the state to prove motive, it was mentioned that Jordan was potentially motivated by emotion when Jimmy Anglin allegedly wanted to stop giving him portions of his government checks.
“Out in the world, and at home, he would be the first one to help. If he only had $10, he would split it with you — even if he needed it. If he saw an animal hurt or abandoned, if he knew someone on drugs or homeless, he would bring them home, feed them and try to help them. He saw the world in a beautiful and innocent way,” said Kelly Hembrick, Jimmy’s sister.
Jimmy Anglin grew up on Piney Grove Road in Comer, where he lived until his death in 2017. Despite a learning disability and academic challenges, Anglin graduated from Oglethorpe County High School in 2008 with a special education diploma.
Anglin was a family man who prioritized relationships with his parents, Henry Donald and Vickie Elaine Biffle Anglin, siblings, Donald Anglin, Hembrick and Randy Anglin, and his 12 nieces and nephews.
He had faith in people, believed in the good of the world and never missed a Christmas with his family — even if it meant driving to South Carolina, where Hembrick lived for a short time.
Hembrick’s son, 15-year-old Kayden Hembrick, was especially close with Jimmy.
I love Jimmy and I miss him all the time,” Kayden Hembrick, Jimmy’s nephew, said. “He was a practicing angel here on earth and now he is a real angel.”
Kayden has made it his mission to include Jimmy in every Christmas by giving memorial items. Kayden takes special pride in picking out gifts for his grandparents, Henry and Vickie Anglin. Last year, Kayden gave customized pillow cases to remind family that Jimmy will always be with them in spirit.
“Kayden won’t even open his presents until after (his grandparents) open what he picked out for them,” Hembrick said. “Jimmy didn’t have kids of his own, but he definitely instilled his giving heart into my son’s heart. He was definitely a role model for his nephews and niece.”
Search for remains
July 3 marked Anglin’s 33rd birthday, the sixth one the Anglin family spent without a grave to visit. They have not given up the search for his remains.
For over half a decade, Randy Anglin, Jimmy’s brother, has conducted weekly searches for remains in the wooded area behind Jordan’s previous residence on 4030 Comer Road, the location where Anglin’s skull was found in 2019.
He has yet to find any.
The skull was one of the main pieces of evidence in the State of Georgia v. Robert David Jordan trial and hasn’t been handed over to the family for burial because it is still involved in legal proceedings and is being held by the District Attorney’s office.
Georgia law allows the government to hold onto skeletal remains for as long as necessary in case there are appeals or reasons for retrial, Oglethorpe County Sheriff David Gabriel said.
“In the end, it is up to the DA’s office when the evidence, and in this case, the human remains, will be released to the right folks,” Gabriel said.
Gabriel said although justice was done when Jordan was found guilty, “the job is not finished.”
“I know the DA and the sheriff’s department did everything they could do by law. But I guess you could say I don't feel like I'm at peace,” Randy Anglin said.
After Jordan’s conviction, Oglethorpe County officials drained two quarries near 111 Rocky Drive in the northeast part of the county, pursuing a lead mentioned during the trial. No remains were found.
Anglin’s case has a lasting legacy, not only because of who he was, but because of the nature of the crime. There were only two murders in Oglethorpe county from 2012-22, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Georgia Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.
“Everyone in Oglethorpe cares for each other. We hurt for each other,” Gabriel said. “I keep the Anglin family in my prayers. I am not giving up and I am staying hopeful that we will get a call and can bring Jimmy home.”
In the years since Jimmy’s murder, the Oglethorpe County community has continued to support the Anglin family.
The "In Loving Memory of Jimmy Lee Anglin" Facebook page has over 200 followers and acts as a living memorial. Included on the page are photos from the Nov. 2, 2019 memorial, where the community gathered to celebrate Anglin’s life and legacy.
“We have just been hoping to find the rest of Jimmy’s remains before his (skull) is released,” Hembrick said. “I feel we will see no peace if we are not able to truly lay him to rest.”