3 people arrested in connection with Chickamauga murder, 1 suspect still at large

WALKER COUNTY, Ga. – According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), three suspects have been arrested and a fourth remains at large in connection with the death of Dakota Bottomlee in Chickamauga.

Kayla Michelle McClure, 21, of Ringgold; James Logan Darty, 21, of Rossville; and Marcuse Allen Chambers, 18, of Rossville, were taken into custody. Brayden Whatley, 23, of Rossville, is wanted on charges related to the case and remains at large.

The investigation began early Nov. 1 when Walker County 911 dispatched deputies to a heart attack call at a home in the 1000 block of Johnson Road in Chickamauga. Authorities arrived just after midnight to find Bottomlee dead in the garage. He was shot and pronounced dead at the scene.

The Walker County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the GBI at approximately 12:30 p.m.

On Nov. 6, investigators executed a search warrant at a home on Alabama Highway in Ringgold with the assistance of the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued for McClure and Darty. Two days later, on November 8, arrest warrants were issued for Chambers and Whatley.

McClure, Darty and Chambers were transported to the Walker County Jail. Authorities continue to search for Whatley.

The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information regarding Bottomlee’s death or the location of Brayden Whatley is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigation Office in Calhoun at 706-624-1424. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online through the GBI’s tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477). gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-onlineor through the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app.

Once the GBI completes its independent investigation, the findings will be presented to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.