Former University of Kentucky cheer coach’s mother found dead in Georgia
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- 72-year-old Margaret Hanley found dead next to her vehicle on Old Hines Road.
- Hanley was last seen Feb. 4 and reported missing Feb. 11; car seen Feb. 8 on Flock camera.
- Her son noted a $500 Walgreens transaction Feb. 9; vehicle will be impounded.
A former University of Kentucky cheer coach mother’s was found dead in Georgia after she was previously reported missing, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.
Margaret Hanley, 72, the mother of Jomo Thompson, was found dead next to her vehicle on Old Hines Road in Liberty County, the sheriff’s office reported Saturday night. The county is south of Savannah on the Georgia coast and about 130 miles north of Jacksonville, Fla., where Hanley lived.
Hanley’s vehicle was found stuck in the mud and will be impounded as part of an investigation.
Hanley, who lived on Southern Oaks Drive in Jacksonville, was last seen Feb. 4 and reported missing Feb. 11 by her neighbors, according to her missing persons report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Her vehicle was previously spotted by a Flock camera in Liberty County on Feb. 8.
A Jacksonville sheriff’s deputy spoke with Thompson, who shared that his mother’s bank account showed a $500 transaction at an unknown Walgreens Feb. 9, one day after her car was captured on a Flock camera, according to the missing persons report.
Hanley’s neighbors told Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigators that she had begun showing signs of dementia but was never formally diagnosed with dementia, according to the missing persons report.
Thompson and three assistant coaches were fired from UK in 2020 after an investigation determined they failed to provide oversight of the team during off-campus events.
The investigation determined that the coaching staff “knew or reasonably should have known” about the team’s conduct and did not take sufficient steps to address the conduct after learning about it, according to a previous news release announcing the firings.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 12:25 PM.
