Summerville, Georgia — A woman recognized for rummaging through waste bins in Chattooga County met a tragic fate when she was unintentionally picked up with the refuse and subsequently crushed and buried beneath a large amount of debris.

 Summerville, Georgia — A woman recognized for rummaging through dumpsters in Chattooga County met a tragic fate when she was inadvertently taken along with the refuse and ended up crushed and buried under significant amounts of waste. This tragic event transpired behind a Family Dollar store located on Commerce Street, where she was last observed sifting through the trash bins that she regularly frequented.

According to officials, the woman, named Kimberley Lindsey, had formed a routine of climbing into dumpsters in search of items that she could repurpose or resell. Her family was aware of the perilous nature of her activities and had long been anxious that a calamity could occur. Their concerns materialized when she was reported missing on Friday morning, leading her relatives to commence a search for her right away.

Family members promptly found Lindsey’s car parked behind the Family Dollar, a location she often visited to scavenge through the trash containers. However, upon the deputies’ arrival, they found that the dumpsters were already empty. These had been emptied earlier that morning and taken to the Chattooga County transfer station as part of the routine waste management process.

Sheriff Mark Schrader, along with Chief Deputy Kevin Woods, swiftly collaborated with the waste disposal company to trace the truck’s load. Upon realizing that Lindsey might have been present in one of the containers during its emptying, they hurried to the transfer station to intercept the collected refuse before it was relocated.

At the transfer station, search teams commenced the grim task of sifting through layers of compressed waste. Equipped with excavators and safety gear, workers meticulously searched the mounds for any indication of the missing woman. After several hours of searching, they ultimately found human remains buried within the refuse. It was later verified that the body belonged to Kimberley Lindsey.

Investigators suspect that she could have been in the dumpster when the garbage truck emptied its contents, completely unaware of the activity. The compaction likely resulted in critical injuries; however, officials are awaiting autopsy results to ascertain her specific cause of death. Authorities are considering the possibility that trauma, suffocation, or substance impairment might have played a role in the unfortunate event.

Lindsey’s boyfriend informed investigators that just a day prior, he had assisted her out of another dumpster because she was too affected by her prescription drugs to climb out independently. He stated that this time, no one was available to assist her. This comment has prompted investigators to explore whether impairment had a part in her inability to escape prior to the truck's arrival.

The Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office is working in close collaboration with the coroner as well as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s medical examiner to reconstruct the full circumstances of the incident. Officials assert that there are no indications of foul play, but the case remains ongoing while awaiting toxicology and autopsy findings.