Two people have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a woman last seen in the Atlanta area more than seven years ago, authorities said.
Porterdale police on Saturday announced that Johnathan Alexander Warren was arrested in Los Angeles and faces charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing death and tampering with evidence. The second person arrested, Katelyn Goble, was taken into custody two thousand miles away in Peoria, Illinois. Her charges include concealing death and tampering with evidence. Porterdale is a small Newton County town, near Covington.
Police have not said what their relationship was to South Dakota native Morgan Aryn Bauer, who vanished less than two weeks after moving to the Atlanta area in February 2016, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
“Investigators are still actively investigating the case and it is continuing to develop,” Porterdale police said.
Bauer was last seen Feb. 25, 2016, at Tease, a strip club on Cheshire Bridge Road in DeKalb County, where she briefly worked. The 19-year-old posted on social media a few days later but has not been heard from since.
Last month, the FBI and several other law enforcement agencies searched a property in Porterdale – located about 50 miles from the club – after new evidence was uncovered in the case. Police said the search located items of “evidentiary interest,” though it’s unclear how the area is connected to Bauer’s disappearance or if it led to the recent arrests.
The police department of Peoria, Illinois was among the several agencies to assist in the search. Officials said the search warrant was obtained “based on credible information and evidence gathered during the course of the investigation.”
Bauer left her hometown of Aberdeen, South Dakota to “move to a big city and spread her wings,” her mother, Sherri Sichmeller, told “Dateline.” According to Sichmeller, her daughter had arranged to stay with a man she met through Craigslist. She agreed to clean the house and do other chores in lieu of paying rent until she found another job, Sichmeller said.
In an interview with Channel 2 Action News, Sichmeller said Bauer’s living arrangements quickly fell apart. Bauer left the house after a disagreement with her roommates.
“From what I understand, she’d left her clothes there because she didn’t know what to do,” Sichmeller said. “And then she went to go try to find a place to stay, a hotel, and that’s what brought her to dancing.”
On Sunday, Newton County District Attorney Randy McGinley said both Warren and Goble will go through the extradition process to bring them to Georgia, and how long that takes will depend on whether they consent to extradition. Their first court appearance hearing will take place within a day or two after they are booked on the charges in the county, he added.
“My office has been working closely with the Porterdale Police Department as well as other agencies including the GBI and FBI. I want to thank everyone involved for their hard work and the long hours they have put.” McGinley said. “Once my office has the opportunity to review all of the evidence and the agencies’ case files, we will make the appropriate charging decision based on the facts and the law.”
Officials have not provided additional details on the case as they continue to investigate.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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