MILTON, Ga.
A body believed to be the 27-year-old son of rapper Lil Jon has been found in a pond north of Atlanta, police said Friday.
Nathan Smith, a disc jockey known professionally as D.J. Young Slade, was reported missing earlier this week after leaving his home in Milton “under unusual circumstances” on Tuesday morning.
Police said he “ran out of his house” on foot without his phone and may have been disoriented, prompting significant concern from family and friends.
In a statement posted to his Instagram, Lil Jon confirmed the loss alongside Smith’s mother, Nicole Smith.
“Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet,” the statement read. “He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted — he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest.”
Authorities have not yet released an official identification or a cause of death. The investigation is ongoing.
By James Kisoo
