Cumming, GA (April 2, 2026) - The GBI has arrested and charged Loron Spaulding, age 35, of Gainesville, GA, with Malice Murder in relation to the death of Diaja Benson, age 30, of Dawsonville, GA. The Cumming Police Department requested the GBI to investigate Benson’s death.

On Friday, March 13, 2026, at about 11:00 a.m., the GBI, Cumming Police Department, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia Department of Natural Resources discovered the body of a woman, later identified as Benson, near Lanier 400 Parkway in Cumming, Georgia. Benson was reported missing in Dawson County, GA, on February 20, 2026.

Spaulding was taken into custody in New Jersey by the U.S. Marshals in relation to Benson's death. He is currently detained in New Jersey and is awaiting extradition to Georgia, where he will be booked into the Forsyth County Jail.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Cleveland at (706) 348-4866. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Bell Forsyth Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Contact

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Amanda Carter

[email protected]