COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Three people have been arrested and charged in connection to the disappearance and death of a young Alpharetta woman whose remains were found in a rural part of Chattanooga, Tennessee, earlier this year.
Police said 20-year-old Maury-Ange Faith Martinez, of Alpharetta, was reported missing by her family from Gwinnett County on Aug. 28, 2023. Then, in January of this year, human skeletal remains were found about 100 miles from the Georgia state line. It's unclear how long the remains had been there. The Hamilton County medical examiner in Tennessee later confirmed those remains were those of Martinez.
On Thursday, 11Alive obtained jail records that showed Allen Kerr and Sean Deschauzer were charged with concealing the death of another in relation to Martinez's death. Kerr and Deschauzer were both previously arrested last year on drug charges but now face criminal charges in this case, according to Cobb County Police.
(Read more about the case below the photo)
Gwinnett County officials said Martinez was last seen leaving the jail on Aug. 21 before she disappeared. At the time, police said they believed she could have been in the Woodstock or Marietta area, and they issued an alert for the public to be on the lookout.
Through the investigation, police said they discovered that the 20-year-old was actually last seen in Cobb County, near Powers Ferry Road, and not in Gwinnett.
Martinez's mom, Anita Darling, recalled her last moments with her daughter, not realizing it would be their last evening together.
"We spent the day together. It was August 17. We went out for sushi, and then we went to watch the Barbie movie. We just hung out that day. We just spent the day relaxing and catching up," her mother said.
Her mother described her as a "charismatic, magnetic, sparkling, fun, loving person."
Though her remains have been discovered, police are now looking for any information that might help them solve the question of who might have killed her and how she ended up in Tennessee.
Anyone who may have seen her or had contact with Martinez around the time of her disappearance is asked to contact the Cobb County police's Crimes Against Persons Unit at 770-499-3945. Tips can also be submitted through Crime Stoppers of Greater Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477).
"Thank you for your assistance and support in finding justice for Maury-Ange and her family," the department wrote.