Valdosta Police Department Detectives arrest suspect in connection to fatal hit and run investigation
VALDOSTA, Ga. – On November 7, 2025, at 11:00 p.m., a citizen called Lowndes County E911 to report that a female was lying on the side of the roadway in the 300 block of Wisenbaker Lane. When Valdosta Police Officers arrived, they found that the female was not responsive and had visible trauma to her body. Valdosta Firefighters and EMS personnel from the South Georgia Medical Center arrived, and they confirmed that the female, later identified as Prenesha Holmes, 22, was deceased.
Valdosta Police Department Detectives and Crime Scene Personnel responded to conduct the investigation. Through preliminary investigation, it appeared that Holmes had been physically assaulted and struck by a vehicle. Officers received information about a pickup truck that was seen in the area. The vehicle information was released to law enforcement agencies for assistance in locating the vehicle.
A Lowndes County Deputy found the pickup truck at a residence. Officers and detectives responded to the residence and contacted the owner, William Anderson Smith, 39. Based on evidence that detectives and crime scene investigators located, they were able to place the victim and Smith inside Smith’s truck. It appears that while in the vehicle, a physical altercation occurred between them. At one point, Holmes ended up outside the truck when Smith allegedly struck her with it.
Smith was arrested and taken to Lowndes County Jail. He has been charged with felony murder (felony), aggravated assault (felony), and hit and run (felony).
Holmes’ body was transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
Detectives determined this to be an isolated incident, with no other threat to the community.
“From the minute the call was received at the E911 Center until the arrest, this was outstanding teamwork by the E911 dispatchers and law enforcement. Because of the quick action of everyone involved, this offender and evidence connecting him to the incident were recovered within a couple of hours. Our thoughts go out to Ms. Holmes’ family and friends, as they go through the devastation of losing their loved one,” said Chief Leslie Manahan.
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