Teen’s body found; 2 charged with murder

Alpharetta police say victim found in Twiggs County.

The body of an Alpharetta teen was found in Middle Georgia, and two people were arrested in connection with the case, police said Saturday.

“We regret to inform you that a body found in Twiggs County is that of our missing juvenile Elijah Smith,” Alpharetta police said in a statement.

Police have charged Hali Karlan, 20, of Roswell, and Deri Bonaventura-Flores, 19, of Norcross, with murder, police told Channel 2 Action News.

Karlan is in the Fulton County jail, and Bonaventura-Flores is in the Polk County jail on an unrelated charge, authorities said.

Karlan and Flores met with Smith at the Extended Stay Hotel in Alpharetta on Tuesday, police said. The three left the hotel in a vehicle late at night.

“Shortly after leaving, Smith was shot and killed inside the vehicle at an address on Old Milton Parkway near the Hotel,” police said.

Detectives are trying to determine the exact motive for the shooting.

Smith’s body was driven to Twiggs County and placed in a rural wooded area off Glover Road near I-16, according to police.

On Thursday, Alpharetta police got a tip about the case. The Twiggs County Sheriff ’s Office and the GBI assisted in finding the body Friday.

Smith’s body was taken to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office. The vehicle in which the crime occurred was found in Sandy Springs, police said.

CONTRIBUTED Elijah Smith, 16, was reported missing by his mother on Tuesday.