UPDATE: VPD Officers and Detectives have located Callaway, and he has been taken into custody on unrelated charges.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta Police are asking for the public’s help locating Grady Callaway for questioning after a suspicious fire Tuesday morning.

Release:

Detectives with the Valdosta Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Grady Callaway, 53, for questioning in a suspicious fire investigation.

On August 4, 2026, at 7 am., a citizen called E911 to report that while walking in the area, a female ran out of the woods yelling that there was a fire and she had been burned. The fire was in a wooded area in the 1300 block of Lankford Drive. First responders with the Valdosta Fire Department, Valdosta Police Department, and South Georgia Medical Center Emergency Medical Services responded to the area.

When first responders arrived, they located two separate areas of the woods engulfed in flames. Both areas that were on fire appeared to be homeless camps. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fires. A 37-year-old female was found who had serious burns on the extremities of her body, while a 35-year-old male victim was completely covered in burns. SGMC EMS transported both victims to the hospital. A small dog was also located with minor burns; Lowndes County Animal Control responded and took custody of the dog for further treatment.

Currently, the cause of the fire is suspicious. Valdosta Police Department Detectives and Crime Scene Personnel are actively investigating.

Detectives are seeking the location of Grady Callaway, Caucasian male, 53, 5’8”, 140 pounds. Callaway is homeless and may have a small white dog with him. If anyone sees Callaway, please contact 911.

The female victim is stable and being transferred to another hospital for treatment. The male victim is listed as being in critical condition.