Lil Jon's son, DJ Young Slade, found dead: 'I am extremely heartbroken'

Name: Atlanta’s DJ Young Slade found dead in Milton pond
Uploaded: 2026-02-06T12:25:14-05:00
Description: The body of Lil Jon's son, Nathan Smith, was recovered in a Milton pond on Friday. The 27-year-old, born as Nathan Smith, has been missing for several days.

Atlanta’s DJ Young Slade found dead in Milton pond

The body of Lil Jon's son, Nathan Smith, was recovered in a Milton pond on Friday. The 27-year-old, born as Nathan Smith, has been missing for several days.

MILTON, Ga. - The body of 27-year-old Nathan Murray Smith, a local performer known professionally as DJ Young Slade, was found after he was reported missing earlier this week, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed.

Lil Jon tells TMZ he is ‘devastated’

What they're saying:

On his official Instagram page, Lil Jon, in a joint statement with Smith's mother, Nicole, wrote:

"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.

"He 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.

"Thank you for all of the prayers and support in trying to locate him over the last several days. Thank you to the entire Milton police department involved: Detective Dula Milton, Investigators Sergeant Scott Lappin, Detective Randy Dula, Detective Sarah Moore, and Detective Daniel Williams. Sandy Springs police department, Fulton county sheriff's office, Haralson County Sheriff's Office, Cherokee Fire Department, Forsyth County Fire Department, Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, Georgia K9 Team Search and Recovery, and multiple volunteers, as well as the Milton Fire Department and Cherokee Rescue and Dive Team, and Craig Brazemen."

Nathan Smith aka DJ Young Slade (L) and Lil Jon perform onstage during 97.1 AMP RADIO's Amplify 2014 concert at the Hollywood Palladium on March 22, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for CBS Radio, Inc.)

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Body found in Mayfield pond

What we know:

Officials said the body was recovered in a pond near Smith's home around 11:53 a.m. Friday by the Cherokee County Fire Department.

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First responders from the Cherokee County Fire Department recover a body from a pond near Mayfield Park in Milton during the search for missing performer Nathan Smith, also known as DJ Young Slade, on Friday, February 6, 2026. (FOX 5 Atlanta)

SKYFOX 5 was over a pond near Mayfield Road and Baldwin Drive in Milton, which is near Smith's home, late Friday morning when they observed something being recovered from the water.

The object was carried to a nearby tent. Dozens of first responders and the Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services Dive Team were observed at the park and in the pond before the discovery was made.

Milton searches for missing man

The backstory:

Smith was reported missing Feb. 3 after he left his home at approximately 6 a.m. without his phone. Milton police and local agencies began a search almost immediately, posting a missing person flyer to social media Tuesday afternoon.

It was later confirmed that Smith is the son of Atlanta rapper and producer Lil Jon, whose legal name is Jonathan Smith.

On Thursday, the search concentrated on the Mayfield Park area. Law enforcement deployed several K-9 units to scour the neighborhood and nearby bodies of water, including a specialized bloodhound from the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesperson for the sheriff's office said the bloodhound has completed 25 successful searches in the last year.

Search at Milton pond near DJ Young Slade's home

The search continued Friday morning for 27-year-old Nathan Smith, a local performer known professionally as DJ Young Slade. SKYFOX was flying over a pond in the area late Friday morning when a dive team was observed pulling something from the water. This is a breaking news story.