Brunswick police: Man killed in his home

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A man reported missing last week was found dead in his home on Amherst Street on Monday, and Brunswick police said he died as the result of an attack.

Police said they are investigating the death of 45-year-old Derrick John Smith as a homicide.

Smith's family reported him missing on Thursday. Capt. Kevin Jones said officers attempted to contact him at his Amherst Street home, but there was no sign of activity at the home. His family entered the house just after noon Monday, found him unresponsive and called 911.

"I don't know what happened to him, but sometimes we are scared to live here, and may need to move to a different place," said resident Nieves Osorio.

Police said the home was locked up with Smith dead inside with a note on the front door dated Feb. 19 letting residents know they should let faucets drip due to the freeze. Investigators believe he was killed sometime between then and Monday.

"We start from scratch," Brunswick Police Capt Kevin Jones said. "We talk to family, friends, people that knew him, neighbors, trying to develop any type of lead to give us a direction to go looking for a suspect."

Police said they have a cause of death, but aren't releasing that because it could hurt their investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Erik Hartshorn at 912-267-5559, Silent Witness Hotline at 912-267-5516 or email bpdtips@brunswickpolice.org