Mariam Abdulrab Kidnapped on Camera Before Being Shot to Death and Dumped
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.”
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.”
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