Pregnant teen, 16, found dead in woods, ex-boyfriend arrested with lying to police
A pregnant 16-year-old female was found dead in a wooded area in Georgia early Monday and her ex-boyfriend has been arrested for lying to police, local law enforcement says.
Mia Campos’ body was discovered at around 1 a.m. just off a roadway in the 3600 block of Stephens Road in Loganville, about 25 miles east of Atlanta, the Gwinnett Police Department (GCPD) said in a press release Wednesday.
Her family called 911 to report finding her body face down in the woods, and they told officers that Campos had left the house the previous night with an unknown person.
When she didn't return home, her family used a cellphone app to locate her body.
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The exact circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear, but police say the medical examiner ruled Campos’ death was a homicide after performing an autopsy on her body.
The teenager was seven months pregnant with a boy at the time of her death. She had named the unborn child Sebastian.
On Wednesday, police say they arrested Campos's ex-boyfriend, 20-year-old Jesus Monroy, on a charge of giving false statements to a police officer.
"During that interview they determined he provided false statements and he was arrested in connection to providing false statements to a police officer," Sgt. Collin Flynn said, per Fox 5 Atlanta.
Flynn tells Fox News Digital that Monroy has not been named as a suspect in the case and so far no suspect has been publicly identified.
Flynn says the case is still under investigation and detectives are exploring all leads.
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Campos’ family and friends erected a makeshift memorial at the site where she was found.
Her parents told Fox 5 on Wednesday that Monroy and his parents had been with them for the previous two days before he was arrested earlier that day.
"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,’" her father Edward Campos said.
The family say they still have a lot of questions surrounding their daughter’s mysterious death and recall the heartbreaking moment when they found her lifeless body.
"Face down. It was hard. I knew something was wrong," Campos told Fox 5. "Her lips and her nose. They murdered my baby."
"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," he said.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. Anonymous tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.