Newnan Police Chief Brent Blankenship announced Sept. 12, 2025, that detectives arrested Scottie Elliott Smith in connection with the 2011 death of Blake Tyler Chappell.

The case began when Blake Tyler Chappell was reported missing Oct. 16, 2011, after leaving a girlfriend's home off Mary Freeman Road and walking toward a friend's house in the Summergrove neighborhood, Blankenship said. Chappell's body was discovered Dec. 19, 2011, and investigators later treated the case as a homicide.

"Smith was not previously investigated. During the investigation into this new lead, the Newnan Police Department detectives corroborated facts of the case as related to Smith," Blankenship said. In multiple interviews with detectives, Scottie Smith "confessed to the murder of Blake Tyler Chappell," Blankenship said. The department arrested Smith Sept. 12, 2025; he is in custody at the Calvary County Jail, charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, concealing the death of another and tampering with evidence.

Blankenship credited the Newnan Police Department Criminal Investigation Division and "the direct professional assistance of the Coweta County DA's investigators" for the arrest. "We thank the community for the continued support and cooperation throughout this lengthy process," he said.

The chief emphasized the case remains active. "While an arrest has occurred, this is still an ongoing investigation," Blankenship said, and asked anyone with information to contact Detective Marcos Gonzalez or Lieutenant Chris Robinson at (770) 254-2355.

Background: The initial missing-person report was handled as a runaway by the Newnan Police Department before Chappell's body was found in December 2011 and the investigation was elevated to homicide. The department said the identification of Scottie Elliott Smith as a person of interest is the result of recently developed investigative leads.

No court dates or additional prosecutorial filings were provided in the announcement. The Coweta County district attorney's investigators assisted in building the case, the department said. The Newnan Police Department did not provide additional details about the evidence corroborating the confession or whether any forensic testing remains pending.

The department asked anyone with relevant information to call the number provided; callers can ask for Detective Marcos Gonzalez or Lieutenant Chris Robinson. The department said the community's cooperation was "vital in the pursuit of justice."