Acworth’s Jeremy Sides, a former Navy man and father of two, is an entrepreneur and a metal-detecting hobbyist, who started out searching for Civil War relics in the woods and creeks. His fondness for finding gold nuggets earned him the nickname “Nug,” and he began documenting his exploits on his YouTube channel, Exploring with Nug. His career took a dramatic turn in November when he scanned the creeks around Sparta, Tennessee, and found a submerged Pontiac with two teenagers inside. They were Jeremy Bechtel and Erin Foster, missing since April 3, 2000. Since then, Sides has become part of a growing group of freelance sleuths seeking out mysteries and posting their exploits online. The AJC’s Bo Emerson recently spoke with Sides about his work for this week’s podcast.

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