ELBERTSVILLE – A quiet Saturday afternoon in rural Elbert County turned into a nightmare when a good Samaritan’s act of kindness ended in gunfire, leaving beloved local man Refugio “Cuco” Torres dead and the female shooter dead by her own hand.
Around 3:45 p.m. Saturday, November 29, deputies were called to the intersection of Martin Villa Drive and Pleasant Hill Road after witnesses reported hearing shots.
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Investigators say 62-year-old Refugio Torres had stopped to help 31-year-old Moriah Lane Mills, whose car had slid off nearby Pulliam Mill Road during heavy rain. What began as a roadside assistance call quickly escalated into a confrontation.
Witnesses told deputies they saw Mills arguing with Torres beside his pickup truck. Moments later, multiple gunshots rang out.
Torres was found in the roadway with fatal gunshot wounds. A second man who also stopped to help was shot in the arm and was airlifted to Piedmont Athens Regional, where he is now in stable condition.
Deputies located Mills a short distance away in a neighbor’s yard, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A handgun was recovered at the scene.
“Mr. Torres was doing what he always did, helping anybody who needed it, no questions asked,” said lifelong friend Manuel Rojas. “That was Cuco. If your car was stuck, if you were hungry, if you just needed someone to talk to, he was there.”
A father of four and grandfather of nine, Torres had lived in Elbert County for more than 40 years. He retired from Pilgrim’s Pride last year but stayed busy fixing neighbors’ fences, mowing widows’ yards, and coaching his grandsons’ little-league team.
“Every Sunday after church he’d cook for half the neighborhood,” his daughter Sonia said through tears. “Now we’ve got to figure out how to have Sunday dinner without him.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case at the request of Sheriff Jamie Callaway. Authorities stressed there is no danger to the public.
A candlelight vigil is planned for Wednesday evening at the Elbert County Recreation Department, where Torres spent countless weekends watching his grandkids play ball.
Until then, his old white pickup sits parked in the driveway, toolbox still in the bed, as if waiting for the next person who needs a hand.
Rest in peace, Cuco. The county already feels emptier without you. 🕊️