Nationwide — Family members of 36-year-old Shekema Toran, a missing African American woman from Augusta, Georgia, have confirmed that her body was discovered in a car parked in an Atlanta-area lot. She was last seen on Wednesday and was believed to be heading towards Atlanta, as her phone’s location was last traced there. Over the weekend, her family anxiously shared news reports on social media about a body found in Decatur, fearing the worst. On Monday afternoon, their fears were confirmed: the body was indeed Toran’s.
Toran’s mother recounted the events leading up to her daughter’s disappearance, mentioning that Toran and her boyfriend of two months, Biarritz “Danate” Martin, were at her home when an argument erupted. After being asked to leave, Martin returned two hours later to pick up Toran. Toran’s mother has not heard from her daughter since and received text messages that seemed uncharacteristic of Toran.
Deputies investigating the case reached out to Martin’s roommates, who confirmed that Martin was home on Tuesday night, but Toran was not with him. Despite multiple attempts to contact Martin, deputies received no response. Eventually, Martin returned a deputy’s call but refused to let them speak with Toran, repeatedly saying, “Wake up,” and smacking the car’s dash or seat. This odd behavior continued for about ten minutes before Martin disconnected the call and did not answer subsequent calls.
Toran’s family members were actively searching for her on Friday, deeply worried and uncertain about the situation. Her brother, Travoun West, expressed his distress, saying, “I’m really lost. I don’t know what to do for real.” The last known vehicle associated with Toran was a white 2004 Ford F-250 with Georgia license plate RJW1158.
Authorities have released a photo of Martin, describing him as 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing 160 pounds. They urge anyone with information regarding the case to contact the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 706-821-1020 or 706-821-1080.
