John Combs went to Georgia to restore power after Hurricane Helene. He never came home.
His death was ruled a suicide. His family does not accept that ruling. It came before an investigation was underway. His phone, wallet, and backpack are missing. The autopsy, his family says, "couldn't examine his right [side]." Since October 2024, no agency has explained the last 48 hours of his life.
Suicide.
- Cause of death
- Blunt-force trauma
- Ruled by
- Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences
- Investigated by
- Montgomery Police Department
- Toxicology
- No drugs or alcohol detected
John's family does not accept the suicide ruling.
They have said so publicly, and they say it for reasons that are documented, not theoretical. The ruling was issued before an investigation was underway. John had no history of suicidal ideation. His phone, wallet, and backpack were never returned. The autopsy, they say, "couldn't examine his right [side]." Southwest Airlines, Atlanta Police, and Montgomery Police have all refused to release information to the family.
The seven things the ruling does not explain →"Ruled a suicide before an 'investigation' was even underway. But couldn't give the family his wallet, phone and backpack??"
The last eleven days.
A reconstructed timeline of John's last weeks, drawn from news coverage and from records his family pieced together. Sources appear on the press kit.
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John flies to Louisville, then drives to Savannah, Georgia, to work storm restoration for Red Rover Electric after Hurricane Helene.
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A Wilmington Island resident sees a lone lineman in a bucket truck near a golf course. She hears a loud noise and sparks rain onto her car. Red Rover later says no crew member would have been working alone.
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John is hospitalized for disorientation. He texts his father: "I've lied about everything in my life, I have no idea what is real and what is not, I want to come home." He then leaves the hospital against medical advice.
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John drives toward Atlanta. He sends his brother his location from a KOA campground. At the airport, he gives a short speech to passengers lining up for a Southwest flight and is removed from boarding. His luggage flies home. He does not.
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John's brother pings his location in Montgomery, Alabama. When his father calls, John says he is "in the woods." Phone records later show Uber rides and stops at a CVS, a Burger King, a Starbucks, a gas station, and a hotel he booked but never checked into. That evening he is found dead, struck by a train one mile from Montgomery Regional Airport, 161 miles from Atlanta. How he got there is unexplained.
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Montgomery Police tell the family John died four days earlier. The family had filed a missing persons report and searched until this notification.
Seven things the suicide ruling does not explain.
Each of these is publicly documented. None of them is a theory. The family is asking for answers to all seven, and has not received one.
- 01
The manner of death was ruled suicide before an investigation was underway. That is the family's central objection.
- 02
John had no history of suicidal ideation, according to his father.
- 03
161 miles between Atlanta and Montgomery. No documented method of travel.
- 04
His phone, wallet, and backpack have never been returned to his family.
- 05
The family says the autopsy "couldn't examine his right [side]" and that his lower right arm was "unaccounted for."
- 06
A witness saw a lone lineman near John's work site on October 1. Red Rover Electric says no one worked alone.
- 07
Southwest Airlines will share nothing without a subpoena. Atlanta Police and Montgomery Police have told the family they will share nothing at all.
We are trying to fill in 48 hours of his life.
If you were in Savannah or on Wilmington Island in late September or early October 2024, on a Southwest flight out of Atlanta on October 3, near a KOA campground in Alabama or Georgia those days, or anywhere near Montgomery Regional Airport on October 3 or 4, we want to hear from you. Anonymous is fine.
See the full prompts on /witnesses →To send a tip, go to justiceforjohncombs.org/witnesses or email [email protected]. You can stay anonymous.
What people ask about John's case.
Plain answers to the questions that come up most. Everything here is documented on this page or in the press kit.
Does John Combs's family accept the suicide ruling?
No. John's family does not accept the ruling and has said so publicly. They say the manner of death was ruled a suicide before an investigation was underway. John had no history of suicidal ideation. His phone, wallet, and backpack were never recovered. The family says the autopsy "couldn't examine his right [side]." Southwest Airlines, Atlanta Police, and Montgomery Police have all refused to release information to the family. The family wants those questions answered before any ruling stands.
Who was John Combs?
John Combs was a 24-year-old journeyman lineman and member of IBEW Local 196 from Rochelle, Illinois. In September 2024 he traveled to Savannah, Georgia to restore power after Hurricane Helene. He was found dead on October 4, 2024 in Montgomery, Alabama.
How did John Combs die?
He was found dead at a rail line about one mile from Montgomery Regional Airport on October 4, 2024. The cause of death was blunt-force trauma, and no drugs or alcohol were detected at autopsy. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences ruled the manner of death a suicide. His family disputes that ruling.
How did John get from Atlanta to Montgomery?
That is unexplained. After he was removed from boarding a Southwest flight at the Atlanta airport on October 3, 2024, he ended up 161 miles away in Montgomery, Alabama, with no documented car, bus, train, or flight accounting for the trip. It is one of the central unanswered questions in the case.
What happened to his phone, wallet, and backpack?
They were never returned to his family. His luggage was sent home from the Atlanta airport, but his phone, wallet, and backpack have not been recovered.
How can I help or share what I know?
If you were in Savannah or on Wilmington Island in late September or early October 2024, on a Southwest flight out of Atlanta on October 3, near a KOA campground in Alabama or Georgia, or anywhere near Montgomery Regional Airport on October 3 or 4, the family wants to hear from you. You can submit a tip at justiceforjohncombs.org/witnesses, and anonymous tips are fine.
Where can journalists get information about the case?
A sourced press kit, including the full timeline, documented inconsistencies, agency contacts, video coverage, and a downloadable PDF, is available at justiceforjohncombs.org/press.
A complete press kit. Sourced and ready.
Facts, timeline, inconsistencies, agency contacts, family contact, and a downloadable PDF. Every claim links to a source.