Ex-Boyfriend Arrested in Newton County Homicide Investigation
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, has arrested a man in connection with the homicide of 54-year-old Collette Sease of Blairsville.
On March 10, 2025, investigators executed a search warrant at a residence on Broadnax Mill Road in Walton County, where they arrested Travis Abbott, 53, of Loganville. Abbott, identified as the victim’s ex-boyfriend, has been charged with murder and concealing the death.
Abbott is currently being held at the Walton County Detention Center and will be transferred to the Newton County Detention Center at a later date.
The investigation began on March 3, 2025, when deputies responded to a report of a possible drowning in a lake off Georgia Highway 212 in Covington. A preliminary investigation determined Sease’s death was a homicide.
The investigation remains ongoing. Sheriff Ezell Brown thanked Sheriff Keith Brooks, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their assistance. He also commended the NCSO Criminal Investigations Division for their efforts in the case and extended his condolences to Sease’s family.
