Missing Augusta woman’s body found in Atlanta

Shekema Toran

Date: August 06, 2024

The body of Shekema Toran, 36, who went missing last Wednesday in Richmond County, was discovered in a vehicle in a parking lot in Decatur, Atlanta, on Monday, according to family members and friends.

Toran was last seen near Diamond Lakes Park in Augusta, and her phone’s last known location was in the Atlanta area.

Authorities responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in a Kroger parking lot on Wesley Chapel Road around 9:42 a.m. Sunday, finding Toran deceased inside the car. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Toran’s family reported her missing last week. Richmond County deputies spoke with Toran’s mother, who reported that Toran and her boyfriend, Barritz Martin, had been at her home in Hephzibah. After a disagreement, she asked Martin to leave, and he complied. He returned two hours later to pick up Toran. Since then, Toran’s mother has not heard from her daughter and had received text messages that seem unusual and uncharacteristic of her.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office attempted to contact Martin without success; he was eventually heard making unsettling remarks during a call with deputies.

Check back here for updates on this developing story.

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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