Elderly Georgia couple charged in 24-year-old cold case

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia police have arrested an elderly couple in connection with the cold case murder of Travis Silvers, whose body was found dead in his truck in a Wendy’s parking lot in 2001. Silvers was shot in the head.

For over two decades, the Silvers case remained unsolved. However, on Friday, April 11, 2025, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), in conjunction with local law enforcement, arrested a married couple from Chatsworth, Georgia, in connection with Silvers’ murder. Georgia authorities charged those suspects, 74-year-old Gary Fowler and his 73-year-old wife, Mary Fowler, with murder and they are currently held in the Bartow County Jail without bond.

The Fowlers’ alleged motive has not been disclosed

Chatsworth couple arrested in 24-year-old Adairsville cold case murderhttps://t.co/08xEy7iXcq

— Daily Tribune News (@dailytribnews) April 15, 2025

Authorities have not released information on the motive or the relationship between Silvers and the Fowlers. Investigators have released very little information about who the Fowers are and what brought them to their attention.

Silvers’ body was draped with a comforter on the passenger side of his pickup truck, according to 2001 reports. Detectives noted the absence of gunpowder residue or bullet holes inside the truck, suggesting Silvers was shot elsewhere and left in the parking lot.

“Our examination of the interior of the truck found no gunpowder residue or bullet damage to the vehicle like you might expect if he was shot at close range inside the cab,” Lieutenant Larry Miolen of the Adairsville Police Department said at the time.

No weapon was found at the scene, and authorities withheld many details amid the ongoing investigation.​

The national television show Unsolved Mysteries featured the Silvers case in 2009. The program highlighted the mysterious circumstances surrounding Silvers’ death and may have helped lead to the Fowlers’ arrest.

Meanwhile, according to the GBI, the investigation is still active. They are requesting that anyone with any additional information come forward. 

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at the GBI website, or through the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app. The Bartow County District Attorney will take over the case for prosecution once the investigation is complete.  We’ll update you on the Fowlers’ arrest as details become available