Mother remembers missing daughter found buried

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - On Thursday, a judge denied bond for an 18-year-old charged with killing his pregnant girlfriend. The victim's mother pleaded with the judge to keep the accused killer behind bars.

Aldeyshaun Locklear ended up in the DeKalb County Jail after investigators say he confessed to killing his fiancee and burying her body in a wooded area.

Te'a Choates, 19, was last seen August 5. Family members hadn't seen or heard from her over the next five days. They reported her missing.

Investigators found Choates' body Tuesday night.

“My youngest daughter said, 'She's like an egg, mom'”, Ebony King told FOX 5 News. “I'm like, 'Yeah, that's kind of true.' With this hard shell she tries to come off as this tough kid, but underneath and in any situation she's the first to cry about something.”

Choates' body found in a wooded area in DeKalb County near the home she and her boyfriend lived in with her family members.

The couple, family members say, met in March and planned to marry this month.

“They would have an explosive argument, and then she'll call me and say, 'Mom, come get me', then, 'No, no, no, everything is perfect it's fine.'"

RELATED: Man arrested after missing woman’s body found in wooded area

King wants the loss of her daughter to have purpose and resonate with people in violent relationships

“I think some of these young girls get into these relationships and feel like this person is going to transform into what they want,” says King. “Know that you cannot change or fix a person.”

DeKalb County police say they received a tip that Locklear was involved in Choates' disappearance.

Investigators say when he was taken into custody he told them the two got into an argument in the bathroom of the home. That incident led to Choates' death. Police say Locklear led them to Choates' body.

“I know he looked at my kid's face. I know he knew she was three months pregnant. I know he knew she had family that loved her.”

Locklear faces several charges including aggravated assault and felony murder.

The family has set up an online account to help offset the cost for Choates' burial. That can be found at gofundme.com/tea039s-burial-fund.