Missing son of Forsyth County lawmaker found safe, police say

Gwinnett County Police said Wednesday that Justin Jones, the missing 29-year-old son of Forsyth County Rep. Todd Jones, had been located safely after a public appeal drew broad attention across local news and social media. The case moved quickly from a missing-person notice to a found-safe update, with Gwinnett County authorities and Forsyth County News both pushing the alert to the public.

Before the update, authorities asked anyone with details to call Gwinnett County detectives at 770-513-5300. Forsyth County News posted the request on X, telling readers that Gwinnett County authorities were seeking information on a missing 29-year-old man who was the son of a Forsyth County lawmaker.

Police had been looking for Jones in Buford, where he was last seen at his residence in the 1300 block of Hartford Run NE. Family members had not heard from him since June 25, according to the details shared in the alert. That location, in northern Gwinnett County, put the case squarely in the day-to-day orbit of Forsyth and Gwinnett families who routinely watch local feeds for fast-moving safety notices.

A social media post from Scott Hilton identified the lawmaker as Rep. Todd Jones and said Jones and his wife, Tracey, were friends, while also naming their son Justin. That helped connect the public notice to the family as the information spread beyond official channels.

By the time Forsyth County News posted again on X, the message had changed from seeking information to confirming that Gwinnett County Police said the missing son had been found. The rapid shift underscores how local police departments, neighborhood news accounts and community sharing now work together in urgent missing-person cases, with a phone number, a name and a location often enough to move an alert across county lines in a matter of hours.