Body found near Lake Lanier identified as 19-year-old homicide victim, GA cops say
Update: On Aug. 4, a man was charged with felony murder in the death of Sarai Llanos Gomez. Read more details here. The original story is below.
A body found near a Georgia lake was identified as a 19-year-old homicide victim, officials said.
Sarai Llanos Gomez, a mom of two young children, had come from Ecuador seeking better opportunities, WXIA reported. She moved to the Atlanta area before her mom stopped hearing from her, according to the news outlet.
Now, deputies have said the 19-year-old’s life was cut short after someone killed her, according to a July 26 news release.
Less than a week after Gomez disappeared in mid-June, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said human remains were found in Flowery Branch. Deputies said the discovery was in a patch of woods along Paradise Point Road, roughly 45 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta and near Lake Lanier, a recreation area that has been the site of several recent tragedies.
At the time, the sheriff’s office said the body was unidentified and didn’t find clues about the woman.
As they tried to solve the mystery, deputies posted a rendering of the deceased woman on Facebook. They also shared a sketch of a “person of interest” and a photo of a car that might have been linked to the case, according to a post from June 30.
Now, nearly a month later, officials said they have confirmed the deceased woman’s identity. After Gomez’s family was notified about her death, her mother said in Spanish that she hopes to bring her daughter’s body back to Ecuador.
“They want to send her body back to me in ashes,” Gardenia Gomez told WXIA. “I want her body. How else will I know it’s really her?”
Officials in their news release didn’t say how they believe her 19-year-old daughter was killed. A homicide investigation was ongoing as of July 26.
Anyone with tips is asked to contact investigators at 770-503-3232 or IntelRequest@hallcounty.org.
A Facebook user believed to be Gardenia Gomez didn’t immediately share additional information on July 27.
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Body found near Lake Lanier identified as 19-year-old homicide victim, GA cops say."
