Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
The FBI Jacksonville Division, with support from state and local law enforcement partners, located the remains of 32-year-old Alex Hodgson Doughty on Tuesday, February 4, in a wooded area on private land near Kingsland, Georgia. FBI Jacksonville’s Evidence Response Team led the search. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner confirmed Mr. Doughty’s identity. No criminal charges are expected.
Mr. Doughty was a citizen of the United Kingdom and was visiting North Florida in September 2022 when his mother contacted local police and reported that she could not reach him and was concerned for his well-being. Investigators from multiple federal, state, local, and international agencies have contributed to the search for answers since that time.
“While we had hoped to bring Mr. Doughty’s family better news, we are thankful to be able to provide them with some closure,” said Special Agent in Charge Kristin Rehler. “This discovery is the direct result of our partnerships and special agents from FBI Jacksonville’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST), who were relentless in their efforts to narrow down potential search locations.”
The FBI’s CAST supports law enforcement investigations through the analysis of historical and realtime mobile communications and geolocation data. CAST experts receive extensive training and are highly proficient at analyzing location data from mobile devices. Throughout fiscal year 2024, CAST experts assisted with more than 6,100 investigations, 54% of which were in support of state and local investigations. The search for Mr. Doughty was among those.
In addition to the efforts of law enforcement, the Doughty family thanks the volunteer search teams who contributed their time and resources in six additional searches.
This case was investigated by the FBI Jacksonville Division and State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, Thames Valley (UK) Police Department, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and Kingsland (Georgia) Police Department. Additional local law enforcement provided resources to aid in the search.