Paulding County fugitive arrested for wife's murder after 2-year chase

FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
·1 min read
<div>Jonathan Bates</div> <strong>(Dawson County Sheriffs Office)</strong>
Jonathan Bates
(Dawson County Sheriffs Office)

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. - A Dallas man charged with his wife’s 2017 murder who has evaded capture for nearly 2 years is back in custody.

On Tuesday, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office posted a photo of Jonathan Bates’ arrest on its Facebook page. Bates failed to show for a court appearance in October 2022 in connection with the death of his 28-year-old wife.

He was wanted for two counts of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree, and battery. Several of those charges stem from the Family Violence Act.

Bates is accused of killing his wife, Cynthia "Cynde" Bates, on May 5, 2017, at the couple’s Paulding County home. Investigators say the couple’s two children, who at the time were ages 7 and 4, ran to a family friend's home after witnessing a fight between the pair.

No word on when Bates will make his next court appearance.