COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Searching for closure, Anita Darling prays new developments in her daughter's disappearance and death will help her family learn what happened to her middle child.
The Alpharetta family has been on an emotional journey since 20-year-old Maury-Ange Martinez's disappearance last August. Seeing her pictures and face takes her back.
"She was sparkly. She was a sparkly, artistic, colorful, fun and just an all-loving person. She would make you feel so loved," Darling said through tears Friday evening.
She sat down with 11Alive's Angelina Salcedo after Cobb County Police announced three arrests had been made in Maury's case.
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"I'm not a vengeful person, but I do want to know what happened. Ultimately the worst thing happened, so they're going to be held responsible for what I don't know. This is another waiting game, but it's not the worst waiting game," Darling said.
A woman was arrested in Wichita, Kansas. Jail records show Allen Kerr and Sean Deschauzer were charged with concealing the death of another in connection to Maury's disappearance and death. Both were already in Cobb County Jail on drug charges.
Maury was the family's fashonista. Daring, bold and despite being 20 years old she was her mom's baby.
"I'll still never lose hope. She's always with me," Darling said.
August 17, 2023, Anita would see Maury for the last time. Days later when she was on her way to pick her up, Maury let her know she'd be staying with friends when she was nine minutes away.
"There was a sequence of events that made me think, 'Oh, that made sense.' Until I felt it later, and I was like, it just feels off. I need to check up on that. And then when I checked up on it, nobody knew where she was."
Maury read her text around 10 p.m. that night and never responded. Days later, Anita reported her missing in Gwinnett County. Months later, the case would move from Cherokee to Cobb County.
"You have to wait between every county, and each day you're thinking, 'My child is missing,'" Darling said.
Six months would go by without answers. Each day that passed was harder than the last.
"You put your head down on a soft pillow at night, and that feels wrong. You try to eat food and that feels wrong. You find yourself laughing about something, and that feels wrong," Darling said.
Maury never left her mind. This past May, a family found Maury's human remains in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
"Their car broke down right at her. He got out of the car to see what was wrong with it, and there she was," Darling said.
Anita got to see and identify her a few weeks after getting the news. A month later Cobb County detectives would charge three people. Now she just wants to know what happened to her baby.
"The news can't get worse than this is her. She's gone. We found her. She's not coming home the way you thought she was," Darling said.
It's still unclear what led up to the three arrests. Cobb County police say they plan on sharing more about this case early next week.