A veteran Georgia judge died by suicide at the Effingham County courthouse, officials said.
State Court Judge Steve Yekel was found dead on New Year’s Eve but investigators believe he took his own life the previous night.
Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie revealed that Yekel appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound but an official cause of death is pending autopsy results.
Yekel was a four-decade veteran who served two years as the state court judge. He recently lost re-election and sought resignation from his post.
“This is never good for anybody. The family is distraught. It’s supposed to be a happy time, this time of year,” said McDuffie.
“And now, they’ve got this. I can’t imagine. If they have anything they need from us, we’ll be available and we’ll make ourselves available to them.”
