Body believed to be missing son of rapper Lil Jon found in pond

Divers recovered a deceased body from an Atlanta-area pond Thursday that authorities believe is the missing son of rapper Lil Jon.

Nathan Smith, 27, went missing from his residence in Milton, Georgia, 30 miles north of Atlanta, on Tuesday. After not finding him in the days following his disappearance, law enforcement checked out a pond in Milton’s Mayfield Park, the Milton Police Department said.

At 11:53 a.m. Thursday, Cherokee County Fire Department divers recovered the body, which police believe is Mr. Smith’s. No foul play is suspected.

Official identification and cause of death are still pending from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. Milton is in Fulton County, while Cherokee County borders it to the north.

In a statement to TMZ, Lil Jon said, “I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother, Nicole Smith, and I are devastated. Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet. He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted — he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest.”

Lil Jon added that Mr. Smith, known artistically as DJ Young Slade, “was an amazingly talented young man; a music producer, an artist and engineer, and graduate of NYU. We loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him. He was loved and appreciated, and in our last times together we’re comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him.”

Ms. Smith split amicably from Lil Jon, whose birth name is Jonathan Smith, in 2022, the rapper’s representatives told People in 2024.