PHOTO: Recently, the District Attorney's Office and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office were able to close a "cold case" after the suspect committed suicide. (File Photo)

By Staff Reports

CENTRE, Ala. — According to Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver, investigators with the Sheriff’s Office recently closed a 2013 murder investigation involving the apparent shooting death of 52 year-old Vincent Hughes of Chattooga County, Georgia. According to Sheriff’s Office Chief Investigator Josh Summerford, the suspected murder occurred on County Road 103 in the Cloudland area of northern Cherokee County in April of 2013.

Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, and Jacksonville State University’s Center for Applied Forensics participated in the investigation.

District Attorney Mike O’Dell stated, “Investigators never gave up on this murder case and gave me periodic updates. Upon notification the suspect died from an apparent suicide in Georgia, prosecution was no longer possible, thus closing the case.”  Sheriff Shaver said, “I hope the official closing of this case can provide the family some closure and help them heal.”

The original release from 2013:

"On April 3, 2013, the body of a white male was discovered by a neighbor at a residence on County Road 103.  The victim was later identified as 52 year old Vincent Edward Hughes of Trion, Georgia. The death is being investigated as a homicide.  Other agencies are assisting in the investigation, including the Cherokee County District Attorneys Office, Chattooga County Georgia Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, and the Calhoun/Cleburne County Major Crimes Task Force."