ST. MARYS, Ga. — New details are known about the homicide of man found in a body of water near Gilligan's Island in Georgia, according to an incident report from the St. Marys Police Department.
On July 6 at approximately 12:06 p.m., officers responded to a local area off Georgia Highway 40, commonly referred to as Gilligan's Island and found the man - later identified as 29-year-old John Andrew Mamph floating in a lake.
Upon Officer Bennett's arrival, he says he made contact with a witness identified as 21-year-old Cody Watkins. The man made the call to police and told them that he had gone riding on his jet ski in the water and as he was making a loop around the back side of the island, he noticed Mamph in the lake.
The incident report states Watkins immediately left the area and went back to his vehicle to call 911. Watkins told police in a statement that he could "smell death" as he approached the body closer. He then led Bennett around the lake to where the body was visible from land, as the officer noted it "looked like an arm breaking through the water surface."
Bennett then called backup as well as first responders started arriving on scene. Two officers including Bennett, decided to retrieve Mamph from the water after they took off their gear, got a personal flotation device from a firefighter and were accompanied by a rescue swimmer with the St. Marys Fire Department. The supervising officer received permission to borrow the jet ski from Watkins and went to the area of the lake to retrieve the body.
As the three individuals approached Mamph, the report states that they could see a black strap floating in the water while also noticing that his hands were behind his back to what looked like "a white nylon rope around his head and neck area." The incident report further states that a rope ran around Mamph's head with some of it placed in his mouth between the upper and lower jaw.
Police say the position of the body looked as if everything was tied together, causing Mamph's head to be bent backwards. One officer decided to secure Mamph while the firefighter entered the water and placed a green nylon rope around his upper body under his arms.
As the firefighter climbed back onto the jet ski and were preparing to leave, one officer noticed a cinder block at the bottom of the lake that appeared the white rope was tied down to. After discussion, police decided to cut the white rope as they said they were not able to pull the cinder block to the surface. Once the rope was cut, the report states that Mamph was freed from being tied down beneath the water.
When officers got back to the area with Mamph and where other officers and medical personnel were standing by, police say they determined the death to be a result of foul play involved. Police then locked down the area, established a crime scene and later released Watkins from the scene after having his jet ski returned.
The Camden County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit responded to the scene and placed their boat in the water when they found an "aluminum roof flashing and also a black bag full of rocks tied together" near the area of where the cinder block was found, according to the report. Shortly after, the case was turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation where they are the lead agency in the active investigation.
Five people - two men and three women were arrested the day after the incident, on July 7, in connection to Mamph's death. 27 year-old Anthony Mistretta and 55-year-old Frank Kennedy are being charged with committed murder while the three women - 36-year-old Debra Doughtery, 33-year-old Megan Robison and 25-year-old Bernice McGuire are facing charges of attempted murder.
The police department stated in a joint investigation with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the alleged suspects and witnesses were quickly identified and located. Police say numerous interviews were conducted overnight at the St. Marys Police Department.
Each person arrested was booked into the Camden County Sheriff's Office jail in Woodbine, Georgia and are being held on no bond.