GBI seeks clues after airport worker's body found in river in 2018
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) is offering up to a $5,000 reward as they revive the cold case investigation into a vulnerable 23-year-old airport employee who was murdered after vanishing on Super Bowl Sunday in 2018. (Credit: Crime Stopp
NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is asking the public for photos and videos as agents search for new clues in the 2018 murder of a vulnerable airport employee found dead in a Newton County river.
What we know:
According to the GBI, a fisherman found the unclothed body of Shanequa Sullivan in the Yellow River in Newton County in March 2018.
At the time of her death, Sullivan was 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. The GBI said she was diagnosed with developmental disabilities, which led her to display childlike thinking and be overly trusting.
Authorities said Sullivan worked as a janitor at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. MARTA security video from Feb. 4, 2018, captured her at the airport wearing her standard work uniform: a burgundy smock with the ABM logo and black pants.
GBI agents believe she was targeted, tricked, taken advantage of, and ultimately killed. Newton County Sheriff's Corporal Joshua Hicks said investigators believe someone tricked Sullivan into getting into a vehicle the day she disappeared.
While the Newton County Sheriff's Office originally investigated the case in 2018, the GBI officially joined the investigation in 2024.
What they're saying:
Special Agent Amelia Maddox, who is working on the case, said this was someone who preyed on a vulnerable person.
"This is somebody who was a predator. This is somebody who is a monster, who went after a very fragile, innocent person who was very trusting," Maddox said.
What we don't know:
Authorities are looking for the person they believe killed Sullivan at this time, and have not released any identifying details about the killer at this time.
It's unclear exactly how Sullivan died or the specific timeline of her death at this time.
What you can do:
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta are asking anyone who took photos or videos at the Atlanta airport on Feb. 4, 2018—Super Bowl Sunday—to share them with investigators.
If anyone has any information, contact Special Agent Maddox at Amelia.maddox@gbi.ga.gov, or Corporal Hicks at jhicks@newtonsheriffga.org.
To remain anonymous, tipsters can submit a tip to Crime Stoppers by calling 404-577-TIPS (8477), texting CSGA to 738477, or visiting online here.
The Source: The information in this story came from a Facebook post from Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.