The Decatur County Sheriff’s Office received a report Monday morning of a moneybag missing from the Decatur County Tax Office.

According to Decatur County Tax Commissioner Don Belcher, the missing green deposit bag contained a total of $3,347.38 in cash and $37,161.98 in checks.

Early Monday morning, a tax office clerk removed the day’s deposit bags from the vault and placed them in her chair before walking across the street for breakfast. When she returned to count the money, she noticed the bag was missing.

“This has never happened before,” Belcher said. “Every cashier has a deposit bag that they put money in at the end of the day and put in the vault. Somehow or other, that bag is missing.”

Belcher and his coworkers searched for the bag in the office, but found nothing. They immediately reported their situation to the sheriff’s office.

“We’ve done all we can do,” Belcher said. “We’re still hoping (the bag) will turn up somewhere.”

Deputy Daryl Long investigated the scene and turned the case over to Decatur County Investigator Brian Donalson.

Chief Deputy Wendell Cofer said the case is currently under investigation. The office also turned the case over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations for assistance.

“We reported the incident to GBI and we’re working with them to find the missing funds,” Cofer said.

The Sheriff’s Office and GBI are looking into all possibilities as where the money went.