Remains of Georgia Woman Who Went Missing After Getting Ride From Stranger Last Summer Found in Tennessee

Skeletal remains found earlier this year on the side of a rural Tennessee road have been identified to belong to a woman from about 100 miles away in Georgia , who went missing last August, police said.

The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release last week that the remains of Maury-Ange Faith Martinez, 20, of Alpharetta, were positively identified by the Hamilton County Medical Examiner’s office.

Martinez was reported missing from Gwinnett County, northeast of Atlanta, on Aug. 28, 2023, according to police.

Her remains were found by the side of a road in a rural area of Chattanooga on Jan. 5, cops said.

It took time to confirm that the remains were those of Martinez, who would have turned 21 last month, the New York Post reported.

Martinez’s mother, Anita Darling, told Local News 3 that she she was on her way to a courthouse in Atlanta to pick up her daughter last summer when Martinez called her to say she had gotten a ride.

“I had a conversation with her about it, it still seemed strange. I got off the phone with her and felt uneasy about it,” she told Local News 3.

Martinez did not know the man she had gotten in the car with, Darling said. After hanging up, Martinez stopped responding to text messages, Darling said.

It is unclear how Martinez died and her death remains under investigation, cops said.

Police urge anyone with information to contact authorities of the Cobb County Police Department's Crimes Against Persons unit at 770-499-3945. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crimestoppers at 404-577 TIPS (8477).

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