In the late summer of 2023, the life of a young mother, 23-year-old Maria Rosaria Montes Dorantes, was tragically cut short. She, along with her 16-year-old brother, Juan Angel Montes, were discovered deceased on the grassy shoulder of Interstate 85 near the split with I-985 in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on the evening of Sunday, August 27th. A passerby who had stopped due to car trouble made the grim discovery and alerted the authorities. There were no vehicles found near the siblings' bodies. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office later determined that both Maria and her brother had died from gunshot wounds.
Originally from Mexico, Maria had moved to Griffin, Georgia, about four years prior, seeking a better life for her three children. She was the primary provider for her family, sending money back to Mexico to support her two children living there, while raising her youngest child in Georgia. Friends recounted that on the night of the incident, Maria and her brother had gone out with a man. Concern grew when she failed to pick up her baby from the babysitter.
The investigation into the double homicide led Gwinnett County police to identify two suspects. Manuel Lorenzo Sanchez, 41 years old, was identified as the primary suspect and has been charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. A second man, 24-year-old Ricardo Lorenzo Montes, was also implicated and charged with tampering with evidence. Police have indicated that Ricardo is not related to the victims.
Friends of the family revealed that Sanchez was a trusted acquaintance of the family. Authorities believe the shooting occurred on the side of the highway in the early morning hours of that Sunday. As of the latest reports, both Manuel Lorenzo Sanchez and Ricardo Lorenzo Montes remained at large, and law enforcement has sought the public's assistance in locating them. The tragic event has left a family shattered, with Maria and Juan's mother in Mexico having to bear the loss of two more of her children to violence, having previously lost two others in her home country. Family and friends initiated a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to repatriate the siblings' bodies to their mother in Mexico.
