By Staff Report
A Georgia man has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of a woman at a residence in Washington County earlier this week, according to a press release issued by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
On Tuesday, July 23, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Telecommunications Center received a 911 call requesting assistance at a residence located on Still Pond Road in Ebro. Deputies and EMS personnel were dispatched to the scene.
Upon arrival, deputies reported hearing crying coming from inside the residence. A man, later identified as 37-year-old Blake Elliot Hornsby, opened the front door and appeared visibly distressed. Hornsby reportedly told deputies, “She’s inside,” prompting them to enter the home.
Inside, deputies located an unresponsive woman exhibiting severe bruising, dark marks around the neck, and no signs of breathing. Despite immediate lifesaving efforts by law enforcement and EMS personnel, the woman was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Deputies observed what appeared to be blood on Hornsby’s hands, along with cuts on his knuckles and scratch marks on his body. Injuries consistent with involvement in a physical altercation. The victim was identified as 64-year-old Mary Jane Ward of Quitman, Georgia, Hornsby’s mother. Preliminary findings indicated the presence of injuries consistent with strangulation.
Investigators interviewed nearby residents and family members, who confirmed that no one else had been at the residence throughout the day prior to law enforcement’s arrival.
Hornsby has been charged with an open count of murder and is currently being held in the Washington County Jail without bond.
The investigation remains ongoing and is being conducted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the 14th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, the District 14 Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime Scene Unit.
Ali Moreland