Georgia police arrest suspect after car-buying couple disappear

By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) - A suspect sought in the disappearance of a suburban Atlanta couple missing since they traveled to the southern part of Georgia last week to buy a vintage car off Craigslist turned himself in on Monday, a local sheriff said. Ronnie Towns, 28, was being interviewed after his family helped arrange his arrest on charges of criminal intent to commit deception and lying to investigators, said Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson said. The sheriff said the last telephone call made by the missing couple was to a disposable cell phone belonging to Towns. Bud Runion, 69, and his wife, June Runion, 66, of Marietta were last seen on Thursday when they set off for Telfair County to buy a 1966 Mustang convertible from a purported seller who responded to their ad on Craigslist, Steverson said. Towns was previously interviewed by authorities shortly after the couple disappeared, Steverson said. Although the sheriff described him as a suspect in the case, Towns has not been charged with harming the couple. Towns did not own a 1966 Mustang convertible, the sheriff said. "I don’t think he had a car that was even similar to the one being sought by Mr. Runion," Steverson said. Search teams looking for the couple are combing the rural county about 160 miles south of Atlanta using all-terrain vehicles, aircraft and boats, Steverson said. The 2003 GMC Envoy the Runions were driving has not been located, the sheriff said. “We are hopeful that landowners and hunters would be on the lookout for anything out of the way, any articles of clothing, anything that may be connected to this case," he said. (Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill Trott)