68-year-old Alabama man arrested in missing Georgia’s woman murder

CrimeEden Sexton, 49, disappeared from Georgia in February 2026. An Alabama man has now been charged with murder.(Contributed)By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.comA 68-year-old Alabama man has been charged in the death of a Georgia woman who has been missing since February. Comer McWaters, of Macon County’s Little Texas community, is charged with murder in the slaying of 49-year-old Eden Sexton, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced Friday. McWaters was taken into custody in Perry County, Mississippi where his arrest followed a day-long manhunt. Perry County Sheriff Jacob Garner said he had to disarm the suspect who was aggressive and brandishing two knives.Sexton disappeared from Columbus, Ga. on Feb. 22, 2026. She was reportedly last seen at McWaters’ home, friends and family have said on social media. Columbus police investigators in June contacted ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigation regarding Sexton’s disappearance. ALEA on Friday said investigators identified McWaters as a person of interest. “During the course of SBI’s investigation, ALEA special agents developed evidence that resulted in a murder warrant being obtained for McWaters in connection with Sexton’s death,” according to ALEA’s press release. They did not elaborate, but family and friends posted on Facebook that blood found in McWaters’ house, shed and car matched Sexton’s DNA. The Perry County sheriff announced McWaters’ arrest on Thursday. According to the sheriff, they received a call Sept. 21 about a suspicious man who had recently moved from Alabama to the Buck Creek community in Mississippi. The caller reported that the man was believed to be using an alias and possibly hiding in Perry County to avoid arrest.Deputies went to McWaters’ home. He fled into the woods and disappeared.Later that night, Sheriff Garner was visiting his mother at her Buck Creek home when the sheriff saw a man emerge from the woods and walk onto a private driveway near his mother’s residence. Garner immediately recognized the man as McWaters. When the sheriff approached him, McWaters became combative and was armed with the two knives. “Despite being 68 years old, McWaters was strong for his age and physically resisted,” Garner said. The sheriff was able to subdue McWaters and take him into custody. A few days later, they confirmed McWaters was wanted in Alabama.McWaters is being held in Perry County pending extradition to Alabama. Carol Robinson is a senior reporter for AL.com, covering crime, public safety and breaking news in more than 30 Alabama counties. She began her journalism career at The Birmingham News in 1986, and has covered...