Monica Renee Bowie, a 34-year-old woman, was last seen on the evening of July 5, 2007, at her home in the Berkshire at Lenox Apartments in Atlanta, Georgia. That night, around 11:15 p.m., witnesses reported hearing a woman's screams for help coming from the apartment complex's parking deck. They then saw a maroon 2002 Mercury Sable speeding away from the scene with two men inside.
Evidence of a violent struggle was left behind, including a woman's green jacket, jewelry, a broken perfume bottle, eyeglasses, and two broken fingernails. The vehicle seen leaving the apartment complex was discovered the next day in another part of Atlanta, completely destroyed by fire. The DeKalb County Police Department is investigating her disappearance as a kidnapping.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Monica was a bright and ambitious individual who had moved to Atlanta after graduating as valedictorian from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania with a degree in accounting. At the time of her disappearance, she was self-employed, running an accounting business for various clients, as well as two other businesses: an event planning company called Go2girls Promotions Inc. and a clothing boutique named LaCoca Wear Clothing. Friends and family described her as a successful and intelligent woman who was a 'go-getter.' Just hours before she was taken, Monica had a meeting with her lawyer, who stated she was in good spirits and behaving normally. She was last seen wearing a dark green dress shirt and blue jeans and was known to wear braces on her teeth.
The investigation into Monica's abduction led to the arrest of a man named Jasper Keels just two days after her disappearance. Keels was initially charged with the theft of the Mercury Sable used in the kidnapping, as he had reportedly borrowed it from an acquaintance and never returned it. Several months later, in September 2007, he was also charged with Monica's kidnapping. Investigators have considered that the abduction may not have been a random act and could be connected to illegal drug activity. Shortly before she went missing, Monica and her fiancé, Shernotta 'Rico' Walters, were arrested when police found marijuana and a handgun in her vehicle, which Walters was driving at the time. While the charges were eventually dropped, Walters was jailed for a parole violation. He was incarcerated at the time of Monica's disappearance and is not considered a suspect. Despite the arrest of Keels and the ongoing investigation, Monica's case remains unsolved, and she has not been seen or heard from since that night.Last Seen: Jul 5, 2007
