Three people charged in death of missing Alpharetta woman whose remains were found

COBB COUNTY, Georgia – Three people have been arrested and charged in connection with 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 in Gwinnett County on August 28, 2023. Then, in January of this year, human skeletal remains were found about 100 miles from the Georgia border. It is unclear how long the remains had been there. The Hamilton County coroner in Tennessee later confirmed that those remains were those of Martinez.

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On Thursday, 11Alive obtained jail records showing that Allen Kerr, Sean Deschauzer and Jasmine Craig were charged with covering up the death of another person in connection with Martinez’s death. Kerr and Deschauzer were both previously arrested on drug charges last year, but now face criminal charges in this case, according to Cobb County police.

Cobb police said Craig was arrested in Kansas and is awaiting extradition to Georgia. 11Alive has requested mugshots of Kerr and Deschauzer and we are waiting to receive them.

(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 believed she may have been in the Woodstock or Marietta area and issued an alert for the public to search for her.

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During their investigation, police determined that the 20-year-old was last seen in Cobb County near Powers Ferry Road and not in Gwinnett.

Martinez’s mother, Anita Darling, recalled her final moments with her daughter, not knowing it would be their last evening together.

“We spent the day together. It was August 17th. We went out for sushi and then we watched the Barbie movie. We just hung out together that day. We spent the day relaxing and catching up,” her mother said.

Her mother described her as a “charismatic, attractive, radiant, funny and loving person.”

Although her remains have been discovered, police are now looking for information that could help determine who might have killed her and how she got to Tennessee.

Anyone who may have seen her or had contact with Martinez at the time of her disappearance is asked to contact the Cobb County Police 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 help and support in seeking justice for Maury-Ange and her family,” the department wrote.