A father and son picked up a hitchhiker in a small Georgia town on Friday. After they dropped him off, the father, Russell Jimerson, learned that police were looking for a man charged with murder. A call from a friend and a “horrible” smell emanating from the hitchhiker’s backpack eventually led him to believe the hitchhiker was Keegan Phillips, a North Carolina man who has since been charged with murder. Jimerson told WXIA he was on his way to collect his paycheck in Lula, Georgia, when he saw a man with a backpack hitchhiking. The city is outside of Gainesville, Georgia. “He just put out his hand, I mean real quick, I told my son to go get it,” Jimerson said. “I help everyone. He’d been up all night, walking from Rabun County. “In the video player above: Hear from the man who took the hitchhiker, unaware that he is a murder suspect. After dropping off the hitchhiker on the Gilsville Highway in nearby Gilsville, Georgia, Jimerson received a call from his friend. “You won’t believe what happened. Some guy from Rabun County murdered someone last night and took their head off,” Jimerson said when his friend called. Then Jimerson remembered the smell coming from the backpack. “I said ‘man’ you won’t believe what I’m about to tell you, there’s a terrible smell in that car,” he told his friend. Jimerson’s friend thought he was joking about possibly picking up Phillips. “And then my buddy said, ‘Is that a joke? Did you pick up the hitchhiker?'” Jimerson recalls his friend saying, “I said, ‘No, I really did.'” A few hours after Jimerson dropped the hitchhiker, police arrested Phillips after an hour-long manhunt . A new news release dated Friday, August 11, reads: The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office said it was contacted by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office on August 6 about a possible Rabun County murder that Martha Angela Ledford was made of missing. Ledford was last seen a week earlier, according to the sheriff’s office. Rabun County officials Sunday uncovered a “possible crime scene” and “what appeared to be a shallow grave,” prompting the Georgia Bureau of Investigations to join the investigation. Early Monday morning, sheriff’s office investigators and GBI agents “learned that a body had been disposed of in the Chattahoochee National Forest,” the sheriff’s office said in the news release, adding that investigators had requested the assistance of a cadaver dog, K-9 koa On Monday afternoon, investigators in Clayton, Georgia executed a search warrant. “K9 Koa confirmed that human remains were found in what appeared to be a shallow grave,” the sheriff’s office said. “While this search warrant was being conducted, personnel from both agencies were responding to a location in Chattahoochee National Forest off Patterson Gap Road where K9 Koa found the deceased human body, which could not be positively identified at the time,” investigators reported Tuesday morning With the help of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, they prepared to arrest Phillips when they learned that he was staying at a Hall County apartment building and was being held at gunpoint by the homeowner. Phillips fled into the woods just before Hall County lawmakers arrived at the Gillsville Highway residence. At the same time, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office and GBI agents were conducting an additional search warrant “for material evidence” at a location in Clayton, Georgia where another crime scene had been discovered, the release said. The sheriff’s office said Phillips was there Tuesday night when he was taken into custody. Later that night, after multiple questioning, investigators were led to another property near Black Rock Mountain, where they “secured critical evidence,” the press release said. The sheriff’s office said agents have been in contact with Ledford’s family and are awaiting positive identification by a Georgia crime lab. Robert Lee Peppers of Lula, Georgia was arrested and charged with concealing the death of another and leaving a body , the press release said, adding that Phillips, who is from Otto, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with murder. Both individuals are being held without bail at the Rabun County Detention Center. In its new press release, the sheriff’s office did not specifically mention the contents of Phillips’ backpack. According to WXIA, news that police were looking for Phillips quickly spread across the small town. Sydney Segars was picking up her child from school when she noticed a heavy police presence. “As the line of cars went by, we heard sirens and we started hearing helicopters,” Segars said, adding, “And the parents started talking and we finally got word that someone was at large.” She called the situation “very unsettling”.

A father and son picked up a hitchhiker in a small Georgia town on Friday. After dropping him off, the father, Russell Jimerson, learned that police were looking for a man accused of murder.

A call from a friend and a “horrible” smell emanating from the hitchhiker’s backpack eventually led him to believe the hitchhiker was Keegan Phillips, a North Carolina man who has since been charged with murder.

Jimerson told WXIA that he was on his way to collect his paycheck in Lula, Georgia, when he saw a man with a backpack hitchhiking. The city is outside of Gainesville, Georgia.

“He just put his hand out, I mean real quick, I told my son to get it,” Jimerson said. “I help everyone. He was up all night walking from Rabun County.”

In the video player above: Hear from the man who took the hitchhiker, unaware that he is a murder suspect

After dropping off the hitchhiker on the Gilsville Highway in nearby Gilsville, Georgia, Jimerson received a call from his friend.

“You won’t believe what happened. A Rabun County man murdered someone last night and blew his head off,” Jimerson said when his friend called.

Then Jimerson remembered the smell coming from the backpack.

“I said, ‘Man, you won’t believe what I’m doing to tell you there’s a smell in this car, it’s horrible,'” he told his friend.

Jimerson’s friend thought he was joking about possibly picking up Phillips.

“And then my buddy said, ‘Is that a joke? Did you pick up the hitchhiker?'” Jimerson recalls his friend saying, “I said, ‘No, I really did.'”

A few hours after Jimerson dropped off the hitchhiker, police arrested Phillips after an hours-long manhunt.

In a new news release on Friday, August 11, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office said it was contacted by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office on August 6 about a possible homicide in Rabun County.

In addition, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office received reports that a woman, identified in a sheriff’s office press release as Martha Angela Ledford, was missing. Ledford was last seen the week before, according to the sheriff’s office.

Rabun County officials on Sunday uncovered a “possible crime scene” and “what appeared to be a shallow grave,” prompting the Georgia Bureau of Investigations to join the investigation.

Early Monday morning, sheriff’s office investigators and GBI agents “learned that a body had been disposed of in the Chattahoochee National Forest,” the sheriff’s office news release said, adding that investigators enlisted the help of a cadaver dog, K- 9 koa, would have requested.

On Monday afternoon, investigators executed a search warrant in Clayton, Georgia.

“K9 Koa confirmed that human remains were found in what appeared to be a shallow grave,” the sheriff’s office said. “While this search warrant was being executed, personnel from both agencies were responding to a location in Chattahoochee National Forest off Patterson Gap Road where K9 Koa found the deceased human body, which could not be positively identified at the time.”

On Tuesday morning, investigators, with the help of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, were preparing to arrest Phillips when they learned he was staying at a Hall County apartment building and was being held at gunpoint by the homeowner.

Phillips fled into the woods just before Hall County lawmakers arrived at the Gillsville Highway residence. At the same time, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office and GBI agents were conducting an additional search warrant “for material evidence” at a location in Clayton, Georgia where another crime scene had been discovered, the release said.

The sheriff’s office said Phillips was taken into custody Tuesday night. Later that night, after multiple questioning, investigators were led to another property near Black Rock Mountain where they “secured critical evidence,” the press release said.

The sheriff’s office said agents have been in contact with Ledford’s family and are waiting for the remains to be positively identified by a Georgia crime lab.

Robert Lee Peppers of Lula, Georgia, has been arrested and charged with concealing the death of another and leaving a body, the press release said, adding that Phillips, who is from Otto, North Carolina, has been arrested and charged with murder .

Both individuals are being held without ties in the Rabun County Detention Center.

In its new press release, the sheriff’s office did not specifically mention the contents of Phillips’ backpack.

News that police were looking for Phillips quickly spread across the small town, according to WXIA.

Sydney Segars was picking up her child from school when she noticed a heavy police presence.

“As the line of cars drove through, we heard sirens and we started hearing helicopters,” Segars said, adding, “And the parents started talking and eventually we got word that someone was at large.”

She called the situation “very worrying”.