Pregnant Teen Found Dead in Woods After Leaving with Unidentified Stranger
Miriam Zárate/GoFundMe
Mia Campos, the pregnant 16-year-old who went missing in Georgia, has been found dead, according to reports. Campos, expecting her first child due in the fall, sparked concern when she left her parents’ home with an unidentified stranger on July 14 and failed to return.
Hours after her disappearance early on the morning of July 15, police in Gwinnett County, Georgia, responded to a report of a body found “in a wooded area just off the roadway.” As per PEOPLE, a family member told authorities they used a cell phone app to locate Mia’s body. A medical examiner confirmed that the teen’s cause of death was homicide.
Last Wednesday, authorities arrested Campos’ ex-boyfriend Jesus Monroy for allegedly “giving false statements to a police officer.” Monroy has not been accused of killing Campos. Campos’s family claims that Monroy is the father of the unborn child she was carrying at the time of her death.
According to Fox News, it was Campos’s parents, Miriam Zarate and Edward Campos, who found their deceased daughter just minutes away from the family home. “I found my daughter laid face-down,” Edward said. “It was hard. I knew something was wrong – her lips, her bleeding nose.”
He added, “Somehow we came this way, and because I didn’t have a flashlight, I just had my phone. Then I said, ‘She’s right there.’ It just broke my heart. Thank God that I found her.” Reports indicate that Mia was the youngest of five siblings. Her unborn child, a boy, was expected to be born in September. She had planned to name him Sebastian.
Miriam and Edward told Fox 5 that Monroy was with them for two days after Mia’s death. “We keep praying every night and that’s why he came with his parents. That’s why I was shocked when they sent me the notice. I was like, ‘Wow,’” Edward explained.
The tragic death of Mia Campos has left a community in mourning and raised many questions about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death. As the investigation continues, her family and friends remember her as a young woman with plans and dreams for her future and that of her unborn son.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact GCPD detectives at 770.513.5300. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 404.577.TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. There will be a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
