A body discovered in a pond near Milton, Georgia is believed to be Nathan Smith — known professionally as D.J. Young Slade and believed to be the son of Atlanta rapper Lil Jon. He was 27 years old.
Breitbart reported that Cherokee County Fire Department divers found the body shortly before noon on Friday in a pond near Smith's residence. Milton police said official confirmation of identity is pending from the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office.
"The individual is believed to be Nathan Smith, pending official confirmation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office."
The discovery came after days of searching. Smith had left his home early Tuesday morning under what police described as unusual circumstances, touching off a multi-agency effort that expanded from the surrounding area to the nearby pond.
Milton police said Smith left on foot and did not have a phone with him. A missing person poster issued by the department said he "ran out of his house and has been missing since."
"He may be disoriented and in need of assistance. Family and friends are concerned for his safety."
No explanation has been offered for why Smith left or what prompted the departure.
Police have not elaborated on what "unusual circumstances" means in this context — only that the search began immediately and grew in scope as the week went on.
Milton police said there is currently no indication of foul play but that the department's Criminal Investigations Division will continue to treat the case as open and active.
Cause and manner of death will be determined by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, and police said no further details would be released until that determination is made.
That's the right call. Speculation in cases like this helps no one — least of all the family now absorbing the worst news a parent can receive.
Lil Jon, born Jonathan Smith, posted a statement to Instagram alongside Nathan's mother, Nicole Smith. The words were spare and heavy.
"Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet. He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted — he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest."
There is no public performance in that kind of grief. Whatever questions remain about the investigation, whatever details emerge from the medical examiner, a family buried a 27-year-old this week. The rest is noise until the facts arrive.
Milton sits about 30 miles north of Atlanta — a quiet suburban town, the kind of place families move to precisely because it feels safe.
That a young man walked out of his home one morning and never came back is the sort of thing that unsettles a community regardless of the final answers.
For now, the investigation continues. The medical examiner's office had not responded to inquiries as of Friday. Until cause and manner of death are established, everything else is waiting.
A young man left home without a phone, without explanation, and didn't come back. His father asked the world to remember him as kind. That deserves to stand on its own for a while.
