On the January day a maintanence worker discovered the lifeless bodies of Marine veteran Kisha Holmes and her three children in a Cobb County apartment, hardly anyone knew that she was actually pregnant with her fourth child — or that she was carrying a devastating personal secret.

The AJC reviewed the available public records about Holmes' case and interviewed a dozen friends, family members and others who knew her. Behind her outward composure and the toughness she learned as a Marine, Holmes concealed deep wells of pain, they said. She could be mercurial, moving around with little notice.

But Holmes was also described as a loving and dutiful mother and an encouraging friend to other veterans. After learning she was HIV-positive, a close friend of Holmes recalls her saying, "I'm going to be all right. Whatever time God has left me on Earth, I'm going to live it to the fullest."

The persistent question everyone keeps asking about her life: What went wrong?

Click here to see our complete investigation into the elusive life and death of Kisha Holmes

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