💔 “Mom, I’ve Been Shot”: Georgia Mother Tracks Her 15-Year-Old Son’s Phone — Then Makes a Heartbreaking Discovery Inside an Abandoned Home

At 8:03 p.m. on Halloween night, 15-year-old Austin Payne called his mother with terrifying news. He told her he had been shot. Hours later, when she could no longer reach him, she began searching. The next morning, his cellphone led her to an abandoned apartment. What she found inside would change her family forever.

ALBANY, GEORGIA — November 9, 2026. Four people, including three teenagers, have been charged with murder following the dєatᩚh of 15-year-old Austin Payne, whose mother discovered him inside an abandoned apartment after tracking his cellphone.

The case has devastated a Georgia family and raised disturbing questions about the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s final hours.

Austin disappeared after going out on Halloween night, October 31.

He was found the following morning, November 1, inside an abandoned residence on Cameo Lane in Albany.

But the most heartbreaking detail emerged from cellphone records reviewed by investigators.

Austin had reportedly called his mother after being shot.

She had heard from her son.

By the time she found him, it was too late.

8:03 P.M. — The Phone Call Every Mother Fears

According to an Albany Police Department incident report obtained by WALB, surveillance footage captured six individuals walking toward an apartment on Cameo Lane at approximately 7:35 p.m. on October 31.

At around 7:58 p.m., video reportedly showed a person wearing a hoodie and shorts jumping from a window.

Five minutes later, at approximately 8:03 p.m., Austin called his mother.

Police Chief Michael Persley later confirmed that the teenager told her he had been shot.

Investigators have not publicly released the full conversation.

But the fact that Austin was able to call his mother after the incident has become one of the most painful elements of the case.

According to the police report, his mother initially believed he might be joking because of things he had said in the past.

Later, after she finished working and could no longer reach him, she became increasingly worried.

Her son had not returned home.

And the phone call was no longer something she could dismiss.

The Search That Led to an Abandoned Apartment

By Sunday morning, Austin was still missing.

His mother began searching for him.

Using cellphone location tracking, she traced his device to the 800 block of Cameo Lane.

The location was not a friend’s house or a familiar gathering place.

It was an apartment that appeared abandoned.

At approximately 9:51 a.m. on November 1, police were called to 810 Cameo Lane, Apartment B.

Inside, Austin’s mother had found her son unresponsive on the floor.

Emergency responders arrived, but the teenager could not be saved.

Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler pronounced him dead at the scene at approximately 10:30 a.m.

A mother’s desperate search had ended with the discovery no parent should ever have to make.

What Happened on Halloween Night?

Investigators began reconstructing Austin’s movements using surveillance footage, cellphone records and witness interviews.

According to WALB, witnesses reported that Austin had been walking with a group along a path between Sands Drive and Cameo Lane.

They said armed individuals approached the group and demanded their belongings.

Gunfire followed.

Detectives recovered seven 9mm cartridge casings while examining the area.

Investigators also considered whether an attempted robbery was connected to the śh́óóting.

Witnesses suggested that Austin may have been targeted because of a handgun he had recently displayed on social media.

However, that remains a reported investigative theory, not a motive established in court.

Police have not publicly resolved every detail of what happened during the encounter.

Four Arrests Bring a Major Development

On November 4, Albany police announced the arrest of four people in connection with Austin’s dєatᩚh.

They identified the defendants as Jansquincey Donaldson, 15; Omari Marion, 15; Adarious Wallace, 16; and Detravion Parker, 22.

All four were charged with murder.

Police said the arrests followed investigative interviews and the examination of evidence gathered after Austin’s body was discovered.

The defendants were booked into the Dougherty County Jail.

The charges represent a significant development for the family.

However, the four defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Their precise alleged roles and the full sequence of events remain matters for the legal proceedings.

He Was Only Days Away From Turning 16

For Austin’s family, the heartbreak has been made even greater by the timing.

Austin was only 15 years old.

According to a relative, he would have celebrated his 16th birthday on November 12.

Instead of preparing for that milestone, his loved ones began arranging his funeral.

The teenager is survived by his mother and his 17-year-old sister.

His family launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses.

The fundraiser described relatives struggling to process an overwhelming loss.

A birthday that should have been filled with celebration has now become another painful reminder of a life cut short.

A Mother’s Search Becomes the Heart of the Case

The investigation has attracted attention because of the arrests and the possibility of an attempted robbery.

But at the center of the story is a mother’s search.

Austin called her on Halloween night.

He did not come home.

She tried to reach him again.

When she could not, she followed the last available clue: the location of his cellphone.

That search brought her to an abandoned apartment.

The discovery that followed has left the family grieving and the community demanding answers.

There are still important questions investigators must address.

What happened between the surveillance recordings and Austin’s call?

Who was present when the violence occurred?

And what evidence will prosecutors present to establish responsibility for his dєatᩚh?

A Community Confronts Another Young Life Lost

Austin’s dєatᩚh has renewed concerns about youth violence in Albany.

Three of the four people charged are teenagers themselves.

The case has therefore raised painful questions about how young people become involved in incidents with irreversible consequences.

For Austin’s family, those broader concerns are inseparable from their personal loss.

Their son and brother will not return home.

He will not celebrate his 16th birthday with them.

And his mother will be left with memories of the phone call that preceded her discovery the following morning.

The Last Call, the Empty Home and an Unfinished Future

The timeline is devastating.

At approximately 7:35 p.m., surveillance cameras recorded people approaching the Cameo Lane apartment.

At 8:03 p.m., Austin reportedly called his mother and said he had been shot.

The next morning, his mother tracked his cellphone to the abandoned residence.

By 10:30 a.m., a coroner had pronounced him dead.

Three teenagers and a 22-year-old have since been charged with murder.

Yet no criminal proceeding can restore the life Austin’s family has lost.

He was 15 years old. He was days away from his 16th birthday. His mother followed his cellphone hoping to find her son — and instead discovered him inside an abandoned apartment.

The arrests may bring the family closer to answers.

The legal process will determine whether prosecutors can prove the charges.

But for Austin’s mother and sister, one reality will never change.

The boy who should have been celebrating his birthday this week will never walk through their front door again.

As the investigation continues, Austin Payne deserves to be remembered as more than the victim of a violent crime.

He was a son, a brother and a teenager whose future ended far too soon.