Nathan Smith, the 27-year-old son of rapper Lil Jon, was found dead in a pond near his Milton, Georgia, home on Friday, days after he was reported missing under what police described as "unusual circumstances." Milton police said foul play is not suspected, though the case remains open and active.

Smith, also known as DJ Young Slade, was last seen running out of his residence early Tuesday morning. Officers were called to the home around 6 a.m. that day. Police indicated he may have been disoriented and in need of assistance at the time of his disappearance. By Friday, authorities located his body in a pond near the property.

According to NBC News, the medical examiner's office will make the official confirmation of identity and determine the cause and manner of death.

A Father's Grief

Lil Jon — born Jonathan Smith — confirmed the devastating news in a statement posted to Instagram. His words carried the unmistakable weight of a parent burying a child.

"I am extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith. His mother (Nicole Smith) and I are devastated."

The rapper, best known for hits like "Turn Down For What," painted a portrait of a young man whose character ran far deeper than his famous last name.

"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."

"He was an amazingly talented young man; a music producer, an artist and engineer, and graduate of NYU."

There was no performance in the elder Smith's grief — just a father describing his son the way fathers do when the world suddenly needs to understand what it lost.

"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 were comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him."

"Thank you for all of the prayers and support in trying to locate him over the last several days."

Whatever public persona fame builds, it offers no insulation from this kind of loss. Nathan Smith was 27 years old.

An Investigation Still Open

Milton police have offered limited details about the circumstances surrounding Smith's disappearance and death. The phrase "unusual circumstances" has not been further defined by authorities. What is known is narrow: Smith left his home running, appeared potentially disoriented, and was not seen alive again.

Police stated plainly that foul play is not suspected — but emphasized the case remains open and active, pending the medical examiner's findings on cause and manner of death. Until that determination is made, much of the story remains unanswered.

The department issued a brief statement asking for space:

"We extend our deepest condolences to the Smith family during this difficult time. The department respectfully asks the community and members of the media to honor the family's request for privacy as they grieve and navigate this tragedy."

It's a reasonable request — and one worth honoring. There will be time for answers. Right now, a family is grieving a son who, by every account his father offered, was a young man of genuine substance.

What We Don't Know Matters

The gaps in this story are significant. No cause of death. No explanation for what drove a 27-year-old to run from his home before dawn. No elaboration on what "unusual circumstances" means in concrete terms. These are not small omissions — they are the center of the story, and they remain empty.

Speculation fills vacuums like these fast, especially when the name attached carries celebrity weight. But the responsible course — for media, for the public, for anyone watching — is to let the medical examiner do the work before concluding. The facts will arrive. They always do.

What the facts already tell us is enough to sit with for now: a talented young man, an NYU graduate, a music producer following in the creative footsteps of his father, is gone. His parents are shattered. The pond behind his house holds answers that investigators are still piecing together.

Nathan Smith deserves to be more than a headline. His father made sure of that — not with publicists or carefully managed messaging, but with the plain, unvarnished words of a man who loved his son and wanted the world to know who that son was. That's the part worth remembering.