Missing Men Derrick Ruff and Joshua Jackson Found Dead From Gunshot Wounds

Missing Men Derrick Ruff and Joshua Jackson Found Dead From Gunshot Wounds
Derrick Ruff and Joshua Jackson, both 25, were last seen traveling in a Ford Expedition, on Dec. 18, 2018. (Courtesy of Gwinnett County Police Department)
Richard Szabo
4/11/2019
Updated:
4/11/2019

The bodies of two young men who went missing on Dec. 21, 2018, have been found months later with gunshot wounds.

Gwinnett County Police Department confirmed Joshua Jackson and Derrick Ruff, both 25, were located inside a storage unit at the Extra Space Storage in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on March 17.

“After the investigators assigned to the Homicide Unit opened the unit’s garage door, the victims were found. It appears that they died of gunshot wounds,” police said in a public statement. “The bodies have been preliminarily identified as Derrick D. Ruff (age 25) and Joshua L. Jackson (age 25). Notification has been made to the victims’ families.”

The department’s Corporal Michele Pihera is now leading the double homicide investigation with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) team led by Criminal Investigation Bureau Captain Jerry Saulters.

Jackson and Ruff were last seen in a Ford Expedition at about 10 p.m. on Dec. 18 last year. Police found the abandoned vehicle three days later in a neighborhood off Monfort Road in Lawrenceville.

The pair were discovered with the help of cadaver dogs from Alpha Team K9 Search and Rescue while patrolling the Lawrenceville Highway near Clearwater Place. The canines alerted police to a storage unit in the Extra Space Storage facility.

Four suspects have been identified and their motives appear to be gang-related. They include Robert Carlisle, 32, Justin Davis, 29, Lesley Green, 30, and Shabbazz Guidry, 24.

“The investigators are in the process of identifying all the suspects in this case. As of now, two people have been charged in relation to this crime,” police said.

Green, who is from Stone Mountain, is being held at Gwinnett County Jail, charged with two counts of concealing the death of another.

Although Carlisle, from Lithonia, has two active warrants for concealing the death of another he was not in police custody at the time of publication.

“As more suspects are identified, additional people could be charged,” police said. “Green and Carlisle could face more criminal charges.”

Detectives are trying to determine the link between the storage facility unit, suspects, and victims.

“The renters of the storage unit have been cooperative with this investigation,” police said.

A cash reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett County Police Department by phoning 770 513 5300. Anonymous reports can be made by phoning Crime Stoppers at 404 577 8477 or visiting www.stopcrimeatl.com.
Richard Szabo is an award-winning journalist with more than 12 years' experience in news writing at mainstream and niche media organizations. He has a specialty in business, tourism, hospitality, and healthcare reporting.
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