The 57-year-old coach’s demise under mysterious circumstances has shaken the Fort Valley community and has caused immense grief for his family, especially his wife, Jill Burwell Jackson.
Highlights
- Sammy Jackson was last seen on January 26, 2025, and was reported missing by his wife, Jill Jackson, on January 27.
- His car was found abandoned in Houston County, Georgia, and his body was discovered in Atlanta on January 29, 2025.
- Jill Jackson, Sammy’s wife, played a crucial role in reporting him missing and raising awareness by talking to news outlets.
- His sister, Barbara Jackson, also actively spread the word on social media, hoping for any information about his whereabouts.
- Sammy Jackson had a successful coaching career, serving as the head coach at Fort Valley State University from 2011 to 2018.
Samuel “Sammy” Jackson, a former basketball head coach of the Fort Valley State University (FSVU) men’s basketball team, was found dead in Atlanta on January 29, 2025.
His wife, Jill Burwell Jackson, had reported him missing just two days prior on January 27.
Samuel’s tragic, untimely demise has been met with shock and disbelief from the Fort Valley community and his friends and family.
Sammy’s Wife, Jill, Reported Him Missing After A Suspicious Text
Sammy Jackson was last seen on the evening of January 26, 2025, at a Dollar General store on Russell Parkway in Warner Robins, Georgia.
According to Jill, she last spoke with Sammy on the evening of January 26, when he mentioned plans to begin working as an Uber Eats driver at the Buc-ee’s on Russell Parkway.
In an interview with 13WMAZ, Jill said,
At about 2 a.m. when I woke up, he still wasn’t home, I tried to call to let him know he had work in the morning and I didn’t receive a call back. That’s when I knew something was wrong.
13WMAZ
Around 2:15 a.m., January 27, she received a text from him inquiring about his Social Security number.
Jill said in the interview,
Why do you need your social security number? You should know your social security number, so that really was a red flag. So, then I immediately tried to call, call and call.
13WMAZ
Subsequent attempts to reach him were unsuccessful, prompting her to file a missing person’s report.
Sammy’s Car Was Found On January 28, Abandoned And Damaged
Authorities discovered Sammy’s car, a silver 2018 BMW 540i, abandoned and damaged in Bonaire, Georgia, with items scattered inside, on January 28.
Despite locating the vehicle, there was no sign of Sammy himself.
Extensive searches and public pleas for information did not lead to any immediate signs of his whereabouts.
Tragically, on January 29, his family confirmed that he had been found deceased in Atlanta.
Details surrounding the circumstances of his death remain scarce, and investigations are ongoing. Consequently, the cause of his death has not yet been released.
Sammy’s Sister Tirelessly Spread The Word On Social Media
On Facebook, Sammy’s younger sister, Barbara Jackson, tirelessly raised awareness and spread the word about Sammy’s missing situation, hoping that somebody would come forward with any information.
On January 28, she wrote,
I been trying since 3 o’clock this morning to hold myself together & keeping myself busy working, line dancing etc… but it’s not working I’m finally at my breaking point….
Facebook
My family needs prayer for my Oldest Brother SAMMY JACKSON who has been missing for 24 hrs in the Warner Robins thru Macon GA area…He had been to work then did his other job when he got off “UBER DRIVER”…The car was finally found earlier to day with the assistance of the BMW company & police..Sammy has not been located yet we are waiting on the AMBER ALERT to be release….
The next day, a couple of hours before finding Sammy’s body, Barbara had updated her Facebook followers, writing,
We’ll some of us are here in GA but we have not yet to locate Sammy we do know his last know location for sure was at a DG where he was getting snacks as he prepared himself to drive…At this time there is no further update as we wait on papers from judges to proceed…Of course if y’all know may family we have pushed the process & taking some matters in our own hand as far as searching that’s how we found the last location.
Facebook
However, after receiving the tragic news of her brother’s passing, Barbara wrote in grief,
It’s said that we are not suppose to question GOD…But I still wanna ask why..Our Hearts are so Heavy….Why didn’t u just take the car & go why did u have to shoot & kill him he would have given you that car because material things never mattered to him…He had a Heart of GOLD & would have helped anybody in the world….Our love 1 is
Facebook
gone & we are not ready to except it..please pray for our family (GA & AL) cause this is going to be a hard 1…..We wanna thank each & everyone that shared all of our post trust me y’all showed out & did y’all part & we are 4ever grateful & we can’t thank y’all enough
Rest Easy Big Brother
On the other hand, Sammy’s wife, Jill, has privated her Facebook and has remained silent, likely dealing with the shock and grief of the disastrous update.
Additional Information
- Sammy Jackson served as the head coach at Fort Valley State University from 2011 to 2018.
- He led the Wildcats to multiple winning seasons and two Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championship appearances.
- Prior to his tenure at Fort Valley State, Jackson also held coaching positions at Savannah State University.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://sportstalkline.com/former-fort-valley-basketball-coach-samuel-sammy-jackson-found-dead-after-wife-jill-jackson-reported-him-missing-two-days-prior/&media=https://sportstalkline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Samuel-Jackson.jpg&description=Samuel "Sammy" Jackson, a former FSVU men's basketball head coach, was reported missing on January 27 by his wife, Jill Burwell Jackson.){kind=link}