Rome police have issued warrants for the arrest of Nakotah Javez Smith for the murder of his girlfriend Friday night.

Crystal Vega, 30, was shot in the head at a home on West 13th Street in Floyd County, the Rome News-Tribune reported. After being taken to the hospital, she died of her injuries, police confirmed Monday.

Police are still waiting for the results of a GBI autopsy.

Vega was a mother of five and had been dating Smith for a few years, family members told Channel 2 Action News. The shooting reportedly happened in front of two of her children.

RELATED: Person of interest sought in Rome woman's fatal shooting

According to her sister Tiffany, Vega gave birth nearly two weeks ago and the baby is in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

“Now we as a family, her struggle sisters and friends have to band together to help raise her children,” Tiffany Vega said on Facebook. “We love Crystal and she will never be forgotten and if you know her you knew she wouldn’t give up that easy. She would tell you to be strong and not give up.”

Anyone with information on Smith’s whereabouts or about the case is asked to contact the Rome Police Department at 706-238-5111.

In other news:

Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez reports.

About the Author

Keep Reading

A Korean Air plane takes off from Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. The plane is chartered to bring back Korean workers detained in an immigration raid in Georgia. (Yonhap via AP)

Credit: AP

Featured

A rendering of the columbarium memorial that is estimated to be completed by next summer or fall in the southeast part of Oakland Cemetery, officials said. (Courtesy of Historic Oakland Foundation)

Credit: Historic Oakland Foundation