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Topton – State Bureau of Investigation agents serving a search warrant in the death of a 19-year-old Hayesville woman whose body was discovered in Marble on Sept. 26 found an unidentified suspect wounded from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday.
The SBI last week identified the 19-year-old as Kloie MatteAnne Cox. The SBI is waiting for results of her autopsy.
The SBI on Wednesday announced the name of the individual suspected in Cox's death. His name is James Darren Nelson. Nelson died at about 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, at a Chattanooga hospital.
On Sept. 26, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the SBI regarding a body found near 258 Mundy Road in Marble. The body was later identified as Cox.
About 7:45 p.m. Friday, SBI agents attempted to serve an arrest warrant on an individual at 55 Woodhaven Lane off Old U.S. 19 near Topton.
“The suspect barricaded himself in the home for over three hours,” according to SBI Public Information Director Chad Flowers. “When agents entered the home around 11:30 p.m., they found the subject on the floor. It appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“The suspect was transported to a local hospital and then transferred to a hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn. As of (Monday), the suspect was still on life support. The suspect’s name has not been released at this time.”
Authorities have not said whether there are other suspects in Cox’s death, nor the nature of the arrest warrant.
Cox was a native of Clay County and 2024 graduate of Hayesville High School, where she played softball, threw shot put and was a wrestler. She also played for the school’s junior varsity football team.
She was the daughter of Matthew Cox and Katherine Anne Marie Tait Cox, both of Hayesville, and had three siblings.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in the chapel of Ivie Funeral Home in Hayesville. A private graveside service will follow at Hohmann Family Cemetery.