Suspect charged in murder of Georgia couple; victims had local ties

Elrey "Bud" Runion, left,  and his wife, June Runion.
Elrey "Bud" Runion, left, and his wife, June Runion.
photo Elrey "Bud" Runion, left, and his wife, June Runion.

Elrey "Bud" Runion did what more than 60 million people in the United States do each month -- he scrolled through the listings on Craigslist.

Last week, he decided to post his own ad on the classified advertisement website, saying he was in search of a 1966 Mustang convertible.

After a couple days, he received a response -- someone told him they were selling the classic car he was looking for.

On Thursday, Runion, 69, and his wife, June, 66, decided to take a day trip from their home in Marietta, Ga., to inspect the car.

The couple never saw their family again, including their daughter Virginia Owens, who lives in the Chattanooga area.

Family reported them missing on Thursday night, when they did not return to babysit their grandchildren, and soon after mounted a social media campaign asking for help in the search.

After days of searching, authorities on Monday discovered the couple's SUV in a lake in Telfair County, and their bodies nearby.

Both died of gunshot wounds to the head, said Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ronnie Adrian "Jay" Towns, 28, was charged in their deaths.

Authorities say the last phone call the Runions made was to Towns, who grew up beside a long dirt road nearby where the couple's bodies were discovered.

The only potential motive offered by authorities has been theft.

Towns already had been arrested and charged with giving false statements to authorities and criminal attempt to commit theft by deception in connection with the Runions' disappearance, said Steverson.

On Tuesday, the charges against Towns were upgraded to malice murder and armed robbery, in the deaths of Bud and June, and a magistrate judge in Telfair County denied Towns bond.

photo Ronnie Adrian Towns

Buddy Towns, the suspect's uncle, told The Associated Press that his nephew lived in a nearby area with his wife and young daughter, working construction.

"It just doesn't make any sense why this would even go down," said the uncle. "It's hard for his parents. They're not understanding."

Friends and family members started a Facebook group, "Find Bud & June Runion," soon after the couple went missing.

The group quickly gained 169,911 followers, as of Tuesday evening.

Members of the group posted a variety of Bible verses and pictures of the couple, asking for prayers and testifying to Bud and June's "amazing love."

"They loved God and that is evident in how they lived," one of the most recent posts reads.

A post on the site asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to House of Hope in Canton, Ga., which is a ministry where Bud worked.

Before the SUV and the Runions' bodies were found, Owens told The Associated Press, "If someone has taken them, we have forgiven that person, because God tells us to love and forgive."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.

photo The Craigslist ad

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