The Chambers County community and surrounding areas are grieving after the body of a missing woman was found Sunday, according to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Department.
A search team with Central Georgia K9 Search & Rescue located Sarah Barninger’s body at about 12:30 p.m. Oct. 18, the department said. Barninger had been reported missing Oct. 11.
The department said video footage from Barninger’s home showed her walking away from the residence. Her phone, which had been reset to factory settings, and other personal items were left behind.
Her body was found in a wooded area about a mile behind her residence, on property owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The area was inaccessible by vehicle, the department said.
The department said it appeared Barninger died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her body was taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for an autopsy.
Sheriff Nelson thanked the volunteers and first responders who assisted in the search, with special recognition for Central Georgia K9 Search & Rescue.
The case remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and the Chambers County Coroner’s Office.
