Fatal Shooting in Elbert County Leaves Two Dead

ELBERT COUNTY, Ga. – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is assisting the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office after two people were found dead and another injured in a series of connected shooting incidents that began on November 29, 2025.

According to authorities, deputies responded around 4 p.m. to a 911 call reporting a man who had been shot near the 1500 block of Bowman Highway in Elberton. The wounded man told deputies that the shooter was Moriah Lane Mills, 31, of Elberton, who fled the area on foot.

While searching for Mills, a deputy discovered what appeared to be a single-vehicle crash on Pulliam Road in Dewy Rose. As the deputy approached the scene, he saw Mills in a grassy area separated from the roadway holding a handgun. Investigators say the deputy ordered her to drop the weapon, but Mills shot herself. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Inside the wrecked vehicle, deputies found the body of Refugio Torres, 62, of Elberton. Torres had been shot and was also pronounced dead at the scene.

The surviving victim from the initial Bowman Highway shooting was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The bodies of Mills and Torres have been sent to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies.

The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Athens at 706-552-2309. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), through the GBI’s online tip portal, or via the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be turned over to the Northern Judicial Circuit for review.