x
Breaking News
More () »

Police say Atlanta woman who vanished in 2016 is dead; 2 arrests made in connection to her disappearance

There are tragic new updates in the over 7-year disappearance of an Atlanta woman last seen in 2016.

ATLANTA — Two people have been arrested in connection to the disappearance of then 19-year-old Atlanta woman Morgan Bauer all the way back in 2016.

On Saturday, Porterdale Police announced that Jonathan Alexander Warren was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with murder, aggravated assault, concealing a death, and tampering with evidence -- all felonies. The state of California, by law, does not release mug shots so one was not provided to 11Alive. His age was not given either.

Additionally, Katelyn Goble was arrested and charged with concealing a death and tampering with evidence, both felonies, according to police. She was taken into custody in Peoria, Illinois. Her mugshot and age were not yet given, either.

Newton County District Attorney Randy McGinley said his office is hopeful that Bauer's family will soon see justice.

"I always look at it from the victim’s perspective or in this case – the victim’s family. This family has been waiting for years, not knowing what has happened. And my hope is that this investigation and this case will lead to them having some closure," McGinley explained.

DA McGinley said that right now they are still waiting on Warren and Goble to be extradited back to Newton County so they can begin to review the case files.

“We don’t usually have the entire case file until the arrest is made so we need time to review the case file," McGinley added.

Bauer vanished on Feb. 26, 2016 and has not been seen since. Police said they now believe Bauer was killed and her body was dumped.

There were recent developments in the case just last week. On July 27, 

Police said new information - which they would not specify - led to a search warrant for a property on South Broad Street. The search was possibly a new lead in the case surrounding Bauer. They added that their search led to the location of items of evidentiary interest. Police noted that the property owners are cooperating with the investigation.

Bauer's mother spoke to 11Alive during the search of the property last week.

“I believe Morgan, if she were still here, she would have reached out. Even if she didn’t want to talk to me, she would have reached out to her grandma," Sherri Keenan said.

Morgan's mom said the last time she saw her baby girl, she gave her something to keep her safe.

“We didn’t really talk, I gave her a penny though. I told her to put the penny in her pocket and to keep it with her to keep her safe," Keenan said. "She was with a friend but I don’t know who he was. They walked off and that was the last time I ever saw her."

Morgan had just moved to metro Atlanta two weeks before she vanished -- leaving nothing but unanswered questions in her absence.

More on Morgan Bauer's case

Police believed Bauer went missing on Feb. 25, 2016, but in an 11Alive News exclusive, investigators found a discrepancy that could shift that timeline. 

Police discovered the teen last posted on social media on Feb. 26, 2016. That's a day after they initially thought she vanished, so that could change the entire course of the investigation. 

RELATED: 'This changes the entire timeline of events' | New evidence in case of woman missing from Atlanta

Bauer was described as having her ears gauged and her lip pierced twice. Her family also said she has several tattoos: a sun-moon near her right shoulder inside a Celtic design, an anchor with the words "whatever you love can be taken away, so live like it's your dying day" on her left wrist, a blue and orange jellyfish on arm from her inner wrist to elbow, and a black tree and flowers on the back of her neck.

She had moved to the Atlanta area from Aberdeen, South Dakota just about two weeks before she went missing seven years ago.

"There isn't a lot of information out there," Morgan's mother Sherri Keenan told 11Alive in 2019. "Morgan is a cold case, but an active cold case with the Atlanta Police Department."

In February 2016, Bauer moved from her small South Dakota hometown to Atlanta and took a job as a dancer in a Gainesville club.

Two weeks later, she disappeared.

“On the 25th into that night, she was dancing at Top of Gainesville," Keenan recalled. "She left and we know she left with some people. They stated they dropped her off at a Citgo gas station in Covington, Georgia."

Bauer’s Instagram is private, but Keenan said a friend of her daughter's recently sent her a screenshot of Bauer’s last post.

It shows it was posted on February 26.

That could mean police have been looking in the wrong places, based on an incorrect timeline. 

The video posted to Bauer's Instagram appears to show her in a park with a man walking behind her.

Atlanta Police declined 11Alive's requests for interviews and have not revealed if they know who that person is, or where the video was taken.

Before You Leave, Check This Out