What happened to Erica Atkins? Employee charged as Georgia bookstore owner is found dead

Erica Atkins, a 40-year-old bookstore owner who was reported missing on Sunday, March 5, was discovered dead near Cedar Creek several hours later. One of her employees, Romero Johnson (38), has been accused of kidnapping Atkins and killing her later.

Additionally, the suspect has been taken into custody at the Henry County Jail. Police authorities are yet to reveal the motive behind the kidnapping or the alleged murder of Erica Atkins.

The victim's body was discovered at around 1.15 pm by a fisherman in Cedar Creek. Atkins, who leaves behind many children, the youngest of whom is just 10 years old, has been described as a “beloved member of her community.”

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"I still have a sick feeling in my stomach": Henry County community mourns bookstore owner Erica Atkins' demise

After disappearing and being reported missing on March 5, a tragic piece of news hit the community in Henry County, when 40-year-old Erica Atkins was found dead in a creek. The entire community, including her friends and family, are in deep shock and are mourning the loss of the owner of Birdsong Books in Henry County.

Shortly after that Erica’s employee Romero Johnson was taken into custody and charged with kidnapping and murdering her. They reportedly were “friends and co-workers.” Locust Grove police believe that Johnson killed 40-year-old at her residence before dumping her body along the highway in Cedar Creek.

Her friend Shanna Amoah stated:

“I still have a sick feeling in my stomach, in my head. I just keep thinking about her. It just floored me, Basically, it floored me beyond measure. I was just completely devastated.”

Amoah further continued:

“Erica was a busy woman. She was committed to helping her community. She donated books- donated her time. In fact, she came last year to my summer camp and read to my kids- donated her time there. Erica was just a pillar in our community. She just won the National Small Business of the Year through the Chamber of Commerce.”

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Erica’s family and friends are heartbroken after the alleged murder of the 40-year-old

The Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau spoke about the bookstore that the 40-year-old owned. They said that the bookstore specializes in:

“new [and] used books ranging from fiction, non-fiction, children, African-American, and Christian living.”

Atkins was a vendor at the McDonough Mistletoe Market, which shared a tribute on its Facebook page by saying:

“She was an awesome woman to work with and loved what she did with Birdsong Books.”

An autopsy will reportedly be performed which will determine the cause and manner of Erica Atkins’ death. Detectives have urged people to come forward in case they have any information regarding the victim's death. Furthermore, police authorities have also acquired a second warrant for Romero on suspicion of killing the bookstore owner.