GBI Assists Cumming Police After Body Found Near Bald Ridge Road

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is working to identify a woman whose body was discovered Friday afternoon in a grassy, wooded area behind local businesses near the intersection of Bald Ridge Road and Pirkle Ferry Road in Cumming.

Cumming police officers found the body in a grassy area behind several shops and a neighborhood in the vicinity of the two roads. The Forsyth County Coroner told reporters the body had likely been at the location for several weeks before it was discovered. The Cumming Police Department said around 12 p.m. Friday that it was investigating the scene on Bald Ridge Road and requested GBI assistance. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office is also assisting.

Aerial footage from a news helicopter showed multiple police vehicles gathered in the area, with a gurney visible in the grassy space off the road behind what appeared to be a gas station and a nearby shopping area. Witnesses on the ground counted roughly 15 to 20 police cars in the parking lot adjacent to where investigators were working. Authorities also deployed drones and helicopters to comb the woods behind the local businesses and a nearby neighborhood.

The heavy law enforcement presence shook workers in the area. "It was crazy," said Kaylyn Harmon, who works nearby. "There were maybe 15, 20 cop cars in the parking lot next door. For that to be happening close to you, it's terrifying. It is really safe, but for all that to happening right next to you, you never know."

Thania Sanchez, another worker in the area, said the scope of the response unsettled people throughout the day. "Once we started hearing that they were investigating a death, we were just wondering, we wanted to know details about what was going on," Sanchez said. "Forsyth is not really known to be anything crazy."

Authorities have not released the woman's identity, her cause of death, or whether foul play is suspected. No suspect information has been disclosed. The Cumming Police Department alerted residents via social media to the increased police presence on Bald Ridge Road and stated there is no danger to the public.

The investigation remains active and ongoing.