Nearly 15 years after Harrison Wayne Olliff’s body was found in a field near Excelsior, a Candler County grand jury indicted a man and charged him with Olliff’s murder, according to a release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The indictment, dated Aug. 11, accuses Paul Thomas Reinberg, 48, formerly of Metter, of killing Olliff, who was reported missing on Nov. 25, 2010. His body was found Dec. 7, 2010 near his truck off Jones Road in Candler County.
At the time, Olliff, 21, was believed to have left his Olliff Road home in Statesboro to meet someone in Cobbtown or Metter, reports said. He had told his girlfriend Thanksgiving night he was going to go to bed after playing video games.
Oliff was last seen by a friend very early that Friday morning – Nov. 26, 2010. Harrison's mother and father, Linda and Wayne Olliff, believed he was with his girlfriend, while the girlfriend thought he was with family, Wayne Olliff said at the time.
Search parties combed a four-county area in search of Olliff and his silver 2005 Chevrolet Colorado truck. Searches, including those by air, were conducted in Bulloch, Evans, Tattnall and Candler counties.
Three days after Oliff’s body was found, the Candler County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to assist in Olliff’s death investigation on Dec. 10, 2010. Despite months and years passing with little or no new information, Olliff’s parents continued bringing their search for justice and for their son’s killer to the public’s attention.
In 2011, Micah Ward, special agent-in-charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Statesboro office at the time, said:
“This is a solvable case. Just a couple pieces of the puzzle are missing. Any information, no matter how large or small it may be, they need to call it in. We’re missing a couple of critical parts, and as soon as we get them, we’re going to move forward and make an arrest.”
Then, according to a release on Monday, GBI agents obtained new information implicating Reinberg in the homicide of Olliff.
“Following a thorough review, the GBI and the Middle Georgia Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office determined that the matter should be presented to a Grand Jury,” the release stated. “The Candler County Grand Jury returned a true bill of indictment against Reinberg for his alleged involvement in the murder of Olliff.”
According to the indictment, Reinberg is accused of “beating (Olliff) to death with a shotgun … and shooting him with a shotgun” between Nov. 26 and Dec. 5, 2010. He faces two counts of malice murder and two counts of felony murder.
According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Reinberg is currently imprisoned at the Floyd County Correctional Institute in Rome on a conviction for sale of methamphetamine.
Linda and Wayne Olliff
On behalf of her husband, Linda Olliff gave the following statement to the Herald:
“Wayne and I, we are very blessed that our son will finally find justice for what was done to him. We know it's not going to bring him back or give us closure, but it will give him justice. And we'd like to thank all the law enforcement involved with this case, but especially Joe Cephus of the GBI for closing the case, Barry Thompson of the GBI, Jared Aikens, Lynn Anderson and Tripp Fitzner, district attorney for the Middle Georgia Judicial Circuit.”
Former Sheriff Lynn Anderson
Lynn Anderson was Bulloch County Sheriff at the time of the crime in 2010. He was and remains friends with the Olliff family and he recalled how much work Sheriff’s Office investigators put into the incident to track down evidence and make an arrest. Also, Anderson conducted several news conferences in the years following Olliff’s death reminding the public that any sort of information might lead to his killer’s arrest.
“I was very relieved and excited and happy for Wayne and Linda,” Anderson said. “I’ve known them my whole adult life. It was so devastating to them when it happened and I was just so glad that maybe, I don't like to use the word closure because you don't ever have that, but maybe this will get them one step closer to what they need.”
In fact, Reinberg’s indictment allowed Anderson some measure of closure for himself.
“I actually was able to go with the GBI last week when they told the family about the indictment,” he said. “I had to make that terrible trip almost 15 years ago to tell them that Harrison had been found and I said, ‘You know – this is a lot better trip than that last one.’
“I am just thankful to the GBI and everybody that's been working on this cold case. And, you know, I’m thankful that they never, never let it get that cold.”