Solving the West Georgia Murder of Gwendolyn Moore: A Cry From the Well

by Clay Bryant

On a sultry August morning in 1970, the battered body of a young woman was hoisted from a dry well just outside Hogansville, Georgia. Author and investigator Clay Bryant was there, witnessing the macabre scene. Then fifteen, Bryant was tagging along with his father, Buddy Bryant, Hogansville chief of police. The victim, Gwendolyn Moore, had been in a violent marriage. That was no secret. But her husband had connections to a political machine that held sway over the Troup County Sheriff's Office overseeing the case. To the dismay and bafflement of many, no charges were brought. That is, until Bryant followed his father's footsteps into law enforcement and a voice cried out from the well three decades later.

Genres: Nonfiction

131 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2021

Reviews

[⭐️MidnightSun⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this was an interesting read for me. I am from Hoganville GA but didn't come along until the late 70's. I had no idea this had occurred in my community. Bryant did an amazing job capturing the brutality of violence on Gwendolyn. Poor Gwendolyn my heart went out to her and those children to have to live in a nightmare everyday that was awful. Bryant did an awesome job bringing the book together giving a little background information on each person helped to understand these people but Marshall Moore gets no understanding from me. Everybody is born with a sense of right and wrong in them. He choose to do wrong. I truly do hope Gwendolyn found her peace. I give it 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Kel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the work done to investigate the death of Gwendolyn Moore. I found the background interesting, and the clear love Clay Bryant has for his father is really touching. Especially in the kind of life it inspires the author towards.

I think there are some areas where this book falls short for me- which is WHY did nobody really intervene when so many people saw her being harmed? I get the police in the county was supposed to be corrupt. However there were so many opportunities for someone to step in, and nobody really does. Which I know even today is not that uncommon. Still... For someone who was born in the 90's, it was so shocking to me to read scenes like the one where the police stood there watching a man beat his wife to the ground from the window of the neighbor's house. Then they just left because they couldn't bear to watch anymore?

Clearly the witnesses Clay speaks to harbor a feeling of guilt and anguish with them. I wanted to hear their understanding of why- why did they feel all they could do was stand by and watch until they had to turn away. I don't say this in a way to shame anyone involved. They stepped up in the ways they thought they could, but what was it about this man that made them feel so powerless to stand up against him? What was it about the world at the time that made him so powerful that a whole community of people could see what he was doing and just... let it happen.

And I would have loved to hear more about Gwendolyn beyond just her life as a victim. We hear that she was so kind to the neighbor's kids. That she wanted to honor the moral code she was raised with. What else, though? I wanted to know things like... what did she enjoy? What did she wear to her wedding? What made her laugh or smile? Did she like music? What foods did she like to make? What were the good moments she had in her life? Was it really all misery? I feel like we never learn much more beyond the events that lead to her ending up in a well, and I don't know I think more than the truth of how she got there, it would have honored her life to hear the good parts as well.

That's just what I think!

[Jill- Host of the Murder Shelf Book Club podcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 1970 true crime murder that turned cold the day Gwendolyn Moore died, her battered and broken body found at the bottom of an old well. It was an open secret that husband, Marshall Moore, was violent and abusive. So why would 32 years go by before the cold case thawed? Investigator Clay Bryant, son of the Chief of Police of Hogansville, Georgia, tells the tale that leads to justice and acceptance, while leaving a trail of wise breadcrumbs through the story. A remarkable book that teaches as you read.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but ...

"Sheriff's" DOES NOT HAVE A SPACE BETWEEN THE LAST "F" AND THE APOSTROPHE!!!!!!

There is only 1 time in the entire book that the word was typed correctly.

Took 1 star off for that.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay Bryant, the author, is going to speak about this case at the Harris County Library in Hamilton, GA on 2/19/22. Am excited to go and hear him talk.

[Angie Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love true crime stories. This one was extra special because it took place in Georgia near my home

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've watched many true crime shows but this book shook me! Knowing the events that happened took place not only in the state I live in but so close made it even more horrendous.