GBI: Two men found mysteriously shot dead in Screven County

The following was taken from a press release distributed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on September 27, 2025.

SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga. – At the request of the Screven County Sheriff’s Office, GBI agents are investigating an incident that left Leon Tolbert Jr., age 30, of Sylvania, GA, and Brandon Counts, age 30, of Sylvania, GA, dead from gunshot wounds. 

Preliminary information indicates that on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at about 3:15 a.m., law enforcement responded to a call regarding a car accident on Highway 301 South, a few miles outside the Sylvania City limits. When officers arrived, Tolbert Jr. and Counts were found inside the car, each suffering from one gunshot wound. Tolbert, Jr was pronounced dead on the scene. Counts was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, but died a short time later. The Georgia State Patrol responded to the scene and determined the car was not involved in a crash, but had driven off the side of the road. A handgun was recovered from within the car.

The bodies of Tolbert, Jr and Counts will be taken to the GBI Crime Lab in Pooler, Georgia for autopsies.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Statesboro at 912-871-1121, or the Screven County Sheriff’s Office at 912-564-2013. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.