Suspect arrested in connection to Jamaica Bay homicide investigation in Lee County

Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a suspect Wednesday in connection to the homicide of an elderly man.

According to an LCSO Facebook post, suspect Michael Joseph Wasko, 46, faces second-degree murder charges for the killing of a man, whose body was found at a home in the Jamaica Bay community on Tuesday.

Deputies responded to a home on Quanery Court in response to the report of a missing man. When they searched the home, the man was found dead in a bedroom closet.

Investigators eventually gathered evidence to name Wasko as a suspect and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Wasko was then found by officers in Port Wentworth, Georgia, which is near the South Carolina border. He was taken into custody by Port Wentworth Police Department.

There are still many questions yet to be answered about what happened inside the Jamaica Bay home.

We also learned Wasko’s girlfriend was arrested in Georgia the day before Wasko was. It’s unclear why she was arrested and if there’s any connection with this case at this time.

Wasko is in Chatham County Jail, awaiting extradition to Lee County.

The victim’s name has not been released by LCSO. We spoke to the victim’s granddaughter through social media Wednesday night. She told us her family is grieving and family members were not ready to speak.

Correction: Chatham County Sheriff’s Office initially reported Wasko’s girlfriend was arrested with him on unknown charges. She was arrested the day before Wasko.