Rockdale County man charged with murder after missing woman’s body found in Cornelia, GA

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA –Lee Daffin, a 57-year-old Rockdale County resident, has been charged with the murder of Jocelyn Camille Goodwine, a Rockdale resident who was reported missing on Feb. 17, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office(RCSO) announced today.  

Goodwine’s body was found on Feb. 20 in Cornelia, Georgia in Habersham County, approximately 80 miles north of Rockdale County and was later positively identified.  

Authorities confirmed today that Daffin and Goodwine knew one another, but did not disclose details about their relationship.

Daffin became a “person of interest” after Rockdale Sheriff’s deputies responded to a welfare check at a home in the 1100 block of Bethel Road at 5:20 p.m.  on Feb. 18. Deputies were unable to make contact with the individual in question. The following day, new information surfaced, leading RCSO investigators to suspect foul play in Goodwine’s disappearance. Authorities put out a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) alert for Daffin as “a person of interest.” Meanwjile, a woman’s body was discovered in Cornelia, GA and later identified as Jocelyn Camille Goodwine.

Authorities in Stephens County, approximately 80 to 90 miles northeast of Rockdale, assisted RCSO in apprehending Daffin on Feb. 19 after a brief vehicle pursuit. On Feb. 20, Daffin was transported to the Rockdale County Jail and initially charged with Aggravated Assault and making Terroristic Threats and Acts. 

The Rockdale Sheriff’s Office said that Daffin, who remains in custody, is now facing the following charges in connection with Goodwine’s death:

• Malice Murder (F)
• Aggravated Assault (F)
• Terroristic Threats and Acts (F)
• Tampering With Evidence (F)
• Theft by Taking (M)