Skeletal Remains Found in Tennessee Identified as Missing 20-Year-Old Georgia Woman

Maury-Ange Faith Martinez reportedly disappeared in August 2023

Authorities confirmed the identity of a missing 20-year-old Georgia woman whose skeletal remains were found in Tennessee earlier this year.

According to a May 31 press release from Georgia’s Cobb County Police Department,  the remains were found on January 5 in a rural part of Chatanooga, Tenn. The Hamilton County Medical Examiner's Office later identified them as belonging to Maury-Ange Faith Martinez of Alpharetta, Ga.

The Cobb County Police Department said Martinez was initially reported missing in Gwinnett County on August 28, 2023. ABC affiliate WSB and NBC affiliate WXIA reported Martinez was last seen leaving the Gwinnett County Jail at the time of her disappearance. However, further investigation by police revealed that her last known whereabouts were in Cobb County.

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“We urge anyone who have seen or may have contact with Maury-Ange around the time of her disappearance or who may have information related to her case to come forward,” the Cobb County Police Department said of the ongoing investigation.

Anita Darling, Martinez’s mother told WXIA that the news of her daughter’s death has been hard, saying, “You are totally torn apart. Then, there is the heartbreak of realizing you lost your child. My kids are like my everything. It was horrible. It was huge.”

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Darling also said, per the outlet, that the last time she was with Martinez was on August 17, 2023, for a meal and movie.

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The mother also told WXIA that she was ready to pick up Martinez from a metro Atlanta courthouse area when Martinez called her and said she got a ride. Martinez did not respond to her mother’s text afterward.

“I thought that it was somebody who worked at the facility,” Darling recalled her daughter being offered a ride. “So I thought, 'Oh, that seemed to make sense.' I had a conversation about it with her. It still seemed a little strange. I got off the phone with her and felt uneasy about it."

Darling said her daughter was in ROTC, adding that the family plans to donate the remains for medical research.

Cobb County police said anyone with information about the case should call them at 770-499-3945. 

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