Erica Atkins: Georgia bookstore owner found dead, employee Romero Johnson charged with murder

Erica Atkins, 40, was the owner of Birdsong Books in Locust Grove, Georgia, cops say she was kidnapped and killed

UPDATED MAR 7, 2023

Dr Erica Atkins (L) was allegedly murdered by her employee Romero Johnson (R) (Henry County Sheriff's Office)

HENRY COUNTY, GEORGIA: Police are investigating the death of a beloved Henry County Birdsong bookstore owner whose body was found in a Georgia creek. The 40-year-old Erica Atkins’ body was recovered by deputies on Sunday afternoon of March 5.

The body was first spotted by the fishermen in Cedar Creek who informed the police. In the connection with the death, a suspected employee of his bookstore, 38-year-old Romero Johnson, of Covington was arrested for kidnapping and has been now charged with murder.

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Erica Atkins' body was found in Cedar Creek

Atkins, the Locust Grove woman, was reported missing in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday. The same day about ten hours later after she went missing, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills received a call from Jones County Sheriff’s Office about a fisherman spotting a woman’s body in Cedar Creek along the Jones-Putnam county line.

Jones County deputies called Putnam County because the body was on their side of the creek. Putnam County deputies then proceeded to recover the body as per WGXA.

The deputies from his department determined the body was a female victim who had been reported missing. Sills told Channel 2 Action News that the department had also received a call from Locust Grove police about a homicide investigation. Locust Grove police then sent Sills photos of the homicide victim and confirmed it was Atkins.

Locust Grove Police Chief Derrick Austin as per a report said it was early in the investigation, but he believed the victim may have been killed at her residence. However, he said an autopsy would be performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s medical examiner. The autopsy is expected to determine the cause and manner of the victim’s death.

Romero Johnson drove Erica Atkins' body through 2 counties

Austin said FLOCK cameras revealed that Johnson drove the body through Jasper and Morgan counties before discarding it in Cedar Creek on US Highway 129. The chief said Atkins is the mother of a 10-year-old son among her other children, and she was an active member of the community.

Detectives from Locust Grove have acquired a second warrant for Johnson on suspicion of murder. Anybody with the information can reach out to Detective Mosely at the Locust Grove Police Department at 770-957-7055.