CAIRO — Law enforcement arrested Alex Smith III Thursday in connection with the Jan. 1 murder of Cairo resident Donald Vandergriff.

Smith, 67, was taken into custody by a joint team consisting of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the Cairo Police Department and charged with one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.

Smith was arrested and booked without incident into the Grady Count Jail.

According to a GBI press release the case is still active and ongoing and will be turned over to the district attorney’s office once completed.

Vandegriff, 62, was found dead from apparent knife wounds in his home by a neighbor Jan. 1.

Officers were dispatched to Vandegriff’s 6th Street NW home where they found him unresponsive.

The case was considered a homicide due to the visible injuries Vandegriff sustained, and the Cairo Police Department requested GBI assistance the same day.

GBI said evidence was obtained during the investigation which led to Smith becoming a suspect.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Thomasville GBI Office at (229) 225-4090.