Suspects arrested after missing Georgia woman found dead in Tennessee
Three suspects linked to the disappearance and death of a 20-year-old missing Georgia woman whose remains were found in Tennessee have been arrested, authorities said.
Maury-Ange Martinez, an Alpharetta resident, was reported missing from Gwinnett County in August 2023. Her remains were found on Jan. 5 in a wooded area outside Chattanooga, the Cobb County Police Department said.
The Hamilton County medical examiner in Tennessee later confirmed the remains were those of Martinez. Her cause of death has not been released.
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Martinez's mother, Anita Darling, learned of the discovery on Mother's Day.
"I want to know what happened to my daughter. It doesn't cure the loss by any means, but it fills a hole that my brain doesn't haven't to make up what happened for the rest of our lives," Darling told Fox Atlanta.
Allen Kerr, Sean Deshazer and Jasmine Craig have been arrested, authorities said. All three are charged with concealing a death, a felony. Kerr, 32, and Deshazer, 27, were already in custody on unrelated charges and Craig was arrested in another jurisdiction, authorities said.
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Deshazer was already being held on several drug charges, including possession of cocaine and marijuana, trafficking in illegal drugs, and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a crime.
Kerr was being held on suspicion of drug and weapons possession and willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
Cobb County investigators were working with police in Hamilton County, Tennessee, to find out what happened to Martinez. Authorities have not disclosed Martinez's possible connection to the three suspects.