Two bodies found with gunshot wounds in West Point Lake

Published 8:56 am Tuesday, August 10, 2021

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The Troup County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the circumstances around two bodies found at West Point Lake Monday and Tuesday.

The first victim was identified Monday as Marcus Lee Caswell, 46, of Newnan. The second victim identified Tuesday as Travis Michael Lodato, 31, also of Newnan.

According to a Troup County Sheriff’s Office press release, both victims have appeared to have suffered from a single gunshot wound to the head. Stewart Smith with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office said that both incidents appear to be connected. It appears the bodies were put in West Point Lake in an attempt to hide or dispose of the bodies.

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According to the press release, deputies with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to West Point Lake at approximately 5:23 p.m. Monday in the area of Lower Glass Bridge Road in regard to a possible body that was floating in the lake. Deputies and investigators arrived along with other first responders and confirmed that there was a body, Caswell, in the lake.

On Tuesday, at approximately 11:17 a.m. investigators were dispatched to the same area in regard to a second body that was floating in the lake.

Both bodies have been sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, per the press release.

The Troup County Sheriff’s Office does not have a suspect or a motive behind the deaths at this time, Smith said.

The sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page that there is “no threat to the community” in relation to these murders.

“We don’t believe that there is someone out there randomly doing this,” Smith said. “We believe that this is a singular incident.”

Smith also said that the case was not related to the unidentified body found at West Point Lake on May 15.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the TCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division at (706) 883-1616 or Crime Stoppers at (706) 812-1000.