The Suspicious Death of Mercedes Chico-Sims

During the early morning hours of May 29th, 2019, 17 year-old Mercedes Chico-Sims snuck out of her family's Johns Creek, Georgia home to meet up with some friends. According to Mercedes' mother, this was something that Mercedes did frequently--but she always returned home. This is why her family members were immediately worried when they woke up on the morning of May 29th and realized that Mercedes was not there. Her parents checked her Snapchat location, which showed that Mercedes was active on the app at 3am that morning in Roswell, Georgia. This was her last known social media activity. 

Once the investigation began, police were able to determine that Mercedes was chatting with a male on Snapchat prior to vanishing. She planned to meet up with the man at his house, but according to him, Mercedes never showed up. Then, on May 31st, 2019, a maintenance worker found the body of a teenage girl near the pool of an apartment complex in Roswell, Georgia. The body was found very close to the place where Mercedes' last Snapchat location was recorded. Very shortly after it was discovered, investigators confirmed that the body was that of Mercedes Chico-Sims. Police have not classified her death at this time, however they have stated that Mercedes body had "obvious signs of trauma." 

Just hours after Mercedes' body was identified, police announced that they arrested 18 year-old Elijah Foster and charged him with concealing her death. Various reports describe Elijah as an acquaintance of Mercedes, and at this time investigators have not revealed what led to his charges. Elijah has a previous criminal record as well; he has reportedly been involved in multiple burglaries and is currently also facing statutory rape charges in an unrelated case. 

Elijah Foster

Police have otherwise remained tight-lipped on the investigation into Mercedes' death, however they have stated that the investigation is still active and there is potential for additional charges in the future. Both police and Mercedes family members are hoping that more witnesses come forward with information about Mercedes' death.  If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Roswell Police Department at (770) 640-4100.