Lee Trawick
Reporter2@riverbendnews.org
On Wednesday, Dec. 21, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) investigators located the remains of a female just off Highway State Road 6 in Hamilton County. The SCSO is waiting for positive identification from the medical examiners office in Jacksonville, Fla. Suwannee County Sheriff Sam St. John suspects it is Deborah Lanham, 59-years-old of Wellborn, who was reported missing on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022.
The tragic story of Deborah Lanham, began long before she went missing. While Lanham was a resident of Wellborn, she is originally from Knoxville, Tenn. Lanham grew up loving music and art. She has previously written and recorded two songs, “Ride” and “Everyday I'm lonely.” She enjoyed concerts and was big fan of Elvis Presley.
However, somewhere along the way she crossed paths with Jordan Ernsberger, 30-years-old of Knoxville, Tenn. It is reported that Ernsberger had previously served five years for being convicted for theft related charges prior to meeting Lanham. Despite his colorful past, the two began a relationship together.
It is unclear when the two became residents of Suwannee County, however, in June of 2022 the SCSO became familiar with Ernsberger as he was arrested on June 20, 2022 for two counts of possession of a controlled substance and drug equipment – paraphernalia. Then again, on Oct. 6, 2022 for simple battery – domestic violence. Followed by his third arrest just seven days later where he was held for “other reasons.” However, his run ins with the law did not end there as he was once again arrested 11 days after his previous release date for charges of trespassing, burglary and “other reasons.” Ernsberger was released on Monday, Dec. 12.
Lanham was last heard from by her family out of state on Dec. 12, 2022. Knowing the volatile relationship she had with Ernsberger, they grew increasingly concerned about her whereabouts when they could not reach her by phone, along with the knowledge that Ernsberger was being released from the Suwannee County Jail the very day she was last heard from. Then, on Wednesday, Dec. 14, she was formally reported as missing along with her vehicle. However, it was later that same day, her vehicle was reportedly found at an undisclosed location. Following the recovery of her vehicle, the SCSO investigators began following evidence that lead them to believe foul play was suspected that led investigators to list Ernsberger as a person of interest.
Then, on Thursday, Dec. 15, SCSO investigations believed Ernsbereger had traveled to Madison County and therefore notified the Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). Simultaneously, the MCSO was responding to a possible home invasion attempt by a white male, in the Livingstone Springs subdivision in Madison. When the suspect noticed the homeowner was home the suspect fled on foot into a thick wooded area that was soon surrounded by law enforcement who had created a perimeter. There, the MCSO deployed a drone and a K-9 team who quickly brought the incident to an end without further incident. The suspect in question was taken into custody and was later determined to be Ernsberger of Suwannee County.
With Ernsberger in custody, he refused to discuss any information involving the disappearance of Lanham. Despite Ernsberger's refusal to cooperate with the SCSO investion, they continued their investigation that points to back Ernsberger, all the while still searching for Lanham.
Everything changed for the family of Lanham on Tuesday, Dec. 20, six days after she was reported missing. SCSO continued to follow the evidence in the where about's of Lanham, and it led them to an exact spot on Highway State Road 6. There, they discovered the body of what appeared to be a white female. The SCSO notified the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) with their discovery and the HCSO assisted in the securing of the scene and evidence as well as assisting in the removal and preservation of any evidence moving forward.
While the SCSO is still waiting for confirmation of the identity of the body, Sheriff St. John has been in contact with Lanham's family and advised them on the discovery. Following the discovery of the body, Ernseberger’s status with the SCSO has been upgraded from a person of interest to the primary suspect.
However, at this time Ernsberger has not been formally charged with anything involving the disappearance and possible murder of Lanham. While Ernsberger, has been made aware of the evidence against him, he continues to refuse to coorperate with law enforcement and has not confessed to any allegations at this point.
“With this being an active investigation, I can't go into great detail about what our investigation has discovered. But I can tell you, that it is the evidence discovered that leads us to believe Ernsberger was involved in her disappearance,” said Sheriff St. John. “After the discovery of the body in Hamilton County, my hope is for Ernsberger to be charged soon, backed by the evidence we have discovered.”