Police say an Atlanta woman was shot and killed after being kidnapped in front of her own home while returning from work early Friday morning.
According to a witness who dialed 911, 27-year-old Mariam Abdulrab went missing around 5:00 a.m. while she was moments away from making it home after her shift at the Revery VR Bar in the Midtown neighborhood — one of two places where she worked as a bartender.
Authorities say the caller reported that a woman had been forced into an SUV near the Chosewood Park neighborhood; roughly an hour later, police received reports of shots fired in a nearby area of southeast Atlanta.
By 10:00 a.m., Abdulrab’s dead body was discovered by the Atlanta Police Department around the area where gunfire was reported.
“During the investigation, investigators determined the shots fired call was likely related to this incident, and investigators were responding to canvas the area when a witness called at around 9:55 a.m. and advised of a deceased person found near 1907 Lakewood Avenue,” the APD told local reporters.
Elisha Kim pleaded for help via Facebook before her best friend’s body was found just hours later.
“My best friend got kidnapped last night at her home in grant park,” she wrote. “She’s a bartender at [R]every and was a bartender at [M]other and [C]hurch. If you’ve met her you know she’s an incredible human being. After her shift she stopped by a gas station and someone followed her home and as she was walking up to her door she was taken. Please if you saw her last night and have any videos send them my way. If you see her in any vehicle call the authorities.”
“Thank you for sharing,” Kim added in an update. “Mariam is no longer with us and her body has been found.”
Local CBS affiliate WGCL obtained security camera footage which appears to show the kidnapping as it happened.
According to local Fox affiliate WAGA, investigators quickly ascertained a person of interest in the alleged kidnapping that led to the death of the beloved member of the Atlanta community. Demarcus Brinkley, 27, has not been charged with either murder or kidnapping — but the investigation is currently ongoing. Police caught Brinkley in Griffin, Ga., after a high-speed chase; he is accused of fleeing when encountered by law enforcement and ultimately crashing his dark blue Chevy Equinox SUV into another vehicle. He is currently being held on traffic charges, according to local NBC affiliate WXIA and to WAGA.
The late Abdulrab’s graciousness, love, and light were reoccurring themes in remembrance threads which grew after news of her death sunk in.
“My daughter was the most peaceful and loving person,” Khalid Abdulrab told WXIA. “She did not deserve this.”
Revery VR Bar mourned her passing in an Instagram post.
“Our hearts are truly broken at the loss of a dear friend and family member,” the post reads. “Mariam brought light to every single person she came in contact with and will forever be missed. We will be closed this weekend to grieve and savor our last moments with her. Please stay safe, y’all.”
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Grant Henry is the owner of Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium where Abdulrab also worked.
“What most of us have been doing all day is either staring in the air, which is [a] shock. Or the realization that this happened and then breaking down in tears,” he told WAGA. “When we got the news, I just cannot imagine how we do this again. The people she was working with are her best friends.”
The Church bar is closed through the weekend in order for the staff to grieve; employees will still be paid, Henry said.
Kim offered additional words of warmth about her friend in a statement to WGCL.
“She is the most caring person in the world,” the grieving friend wrote. “She would literally give you the shirt off her back. She was a daughter, a younger and older sister, a girlfriend, our best friend. She was in the service industry so she knew how waiters and bartenders lives off tips too so she’s always been so generous with her own earnings.”
[images via screengrab/WGCL]
