The bodies of a brother and sister killed in a shooting were found over the weekend on the shoulder of an interstate in Gwinnett County, authorities said.
Maria Rosaria Montes Dorantes, 23, and Juan Angel Montes, 16, of Griffin, were located in the grass at the I-85/985 split Sunday at about 7:30 p.m., Gwinnett police said. No car was found parked near their bodies.
A man who stopped on the shoulder of the highway with car trouble was the first to spot the bodies and called 911, according to an incident report. He could see two people lying in the grass and said they were bleeding but not moving. He described the woman as wearing a pink and purple dress, while the boy was dressed in a black shirt and blue jeans.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Other witnesses arrived to help the first man with his car, and one man at the scene told officers he looked closely at the siblings but backed away when he realized they were unresponsive, the report said. All witnesses told officers they had not seen any unknown cars stop or anything else suspicious.
The bodies were taken to the Gwinnett Medical Examiner’s Office, where investigators determined both died from gunshot wounds. Now that their autopsies are complete, friends and family have started a GoFundMe page raising money to take them back to their mother in Mexico.
“We have two family members we need to send back,” organizer Lisbet Gonzalez said in Spanish on the fundraising page. “They were so young.”
Police have opened a homicide investigation and are asking for tips from the public.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters may contact Crime Stoppers by calling 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visiting www.stopcrimeATL.com. Tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
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