Ga. Woman Is Missing After Ex-Husband Fatally Shoots Himself

Samantha Tolbert, 46, has been missing since March 7, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office tells PEOPLE

<p>Carroll County Sheriff

Carroll County Sheriff's Office

Samantha Tolbert

Authorities are searching for a Georgia woman who has been missing since her ex-husband died by suicide earlier this month.

Samantha Tolbert, 46, of Carroll County, has been missing since March 7, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ashley Hulsey tells PEOPLE.

Her disappearance came to light on March 7 when deputies with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office were called to an address in the Tyus section of Carroll County in eastern Georgia about a report of a suicide, Hulsey says.

Jerimmie Tolbert, of Tyus Carrollton Road, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the sheriff’s office, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.

“In speaking with people on the scene, we understood that he had an ex-wife,” Hulsey says. “She had not been seen or heard from in a couple weeks."

It was unusual for her to go a week or so without speaking to her family,” she adds.

Jerimmie had a history of domestic violence against Samantha, according to the CCSO. The last domestic violence report she filed was in November 2022, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.

Detectives reached out to Samantha's daughter, who said she last spoke to her mother by phone on Feb. 25, Hulsey says.

On March 7, the CCSO launched a missing persons investigation asking the public for help.

“In looking at phone records, she does not have her phone turned on," says Hulsey. "We don't believe there’s any bank activity, so obviously that heightens our concern that there could be more to her disappearance or why she is missing.”

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Samantha is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 165 lbs. She has red hair that she dyes blonde.

Authorities don’t believe she is traveling by car. It’s unknown what she was wearing when she vanished.

“This is an ongoing investigation,” says Hulsey. "We are looking for leads and tips — anything, no matter how insignificant.”

Samantha is known to travel between Carroll County and Randolph County, Ala., according to the CCSO.

Family friend Miranda Spruill said Samantha's “daughter and I want the public's help in bringing Samantha home,” Fox 5 Atlanta reports.

“We appreciate all the calls and helpful leads. We continue to ask no matter how small you may think a tip is, it could bring us one step closer to finding Samantha.

“We ask that you keep us in your prayers as the days seem to get longer. We have faith in the Carroll County Sheriff's department and are very thankful to have Detective Cardell and her team working the case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff's office at 770-830-5916 or email Carroll County Investigator Amber Cardell at acardell@carrollsheriff.com.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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