Former Albany city commissioner found dead near Georgia Power Dam

ALBANY – The Albany Police Department confirmed Tuesday that a body found in the Georgia Power Dam area early Tuesday morning was former Albany City Commissioner Kenderson Hill Sr., who had been missing since Saturday.

Albany Police Chief Michael Persley said public safety officials were notified of a body found by dam workers at around 6:45 a.m. APD, the Dougherty County Police Department, Albany Fire Department, Dougherty County EMS and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources worked to recover 64-year-old Hill’s body from the river. The coroner confirmed it was Hill at the site.

Hill’s body is being sent to the state crime lab for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.

Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler said based on the decomposition of the body, it looked like Hill’s body had been in the river for about three days. However, no other information can be shared until the autopsy results are complete.

Hill was last seen leaving his home on the 1500 block of Georgia Avenue on foot at around 3:45 Saturday morning.

Later that day, APD declared Hill a “critical missing person.” This label arises when a person could be missing due to a medical reason or developmental disability or brain disorder like Alzheimer’s – or if they are a small child or senior. With Hill’s case, Persley said they may have looked at pre-existing medical factors to determine him a critical missing person.

When someone is declared as critically missing, APD notifies the state’s Criminal Investigative Bureau and additional resources are brought into the case.

Public safety officials joined family members and friends of Hill for a search party Monday morning. They went door to door and searched wooded areas along the Flint riverfront.

Persley asked for privacy for Hill’s family during a press conference Tuesday morning.

“Let’s pray for the family and also for the east Albany community because Mr. Hill … his family … was very known throughout the community,” Persley said. “They were a staple of east Albany.”

Hill served as an Albany commissioner in the 1990s and was an active member of his east Albany community.

Persley said this is the fourth water incident APD has seen this year.

Gary Randle, 58, was found dead in an Albany holding pond in February after his boat flipped during a fishing trip.

Darrious Stephens, a city worker, was found dead in the Flint River in March. Days later, 23-year-old Cameron Jones’ body was found in the river as well.

Persley said the river wasn’t initially involved in the search efforts for Hill, noting a large wooded area near a residential area took precedence. He said public safety officials had very little information to go on in their search efforts.

“We would have had to have known a point of entry before to put more resources out,” Persley said.

Persley said in his 30 years of policing, he’s seen frequent drownings in pools. Fowler has even developed an initiative to teach local children to swim, called Swim for Life. However, Persley said this is the most drownings he’s seen in the Flint or holding ponds in a single year for his entire career.

Persley wrapped up the press conference by calling attention to other missing person cases.

“We need the community’s help … actual, factual information that can lead to where these missing persons are,” he said.

The best way to submit tips is calling APD’s non-emergency number at (229) 431-2132 or to reach out to respective law enforcement agencies.

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan[email protected]