Murder in the mountains: 7 arrested after 19-year-old girl found shot to death inside car in Ellijay

ELLIJAY, Ga. — Sheriff’s investigators have arrested three teenage girls, a teenage boy, and a 21-year-old man tied to the killing of a 19-year-old girl who was found shot to death inside her car in late September.

The Gilmer County Sheriff told Channel 2′s Tom Jones that they average one murder a year, so people in that area were surprised at this incident.

It was also a surprise that so many young people were arrested in this case, including a 15-year-old girl.

Deputies said it all began on Sept. 19 when they found Mallory Warden, 19, in a car with a gunshot wound on South Main Street in Ellijay.

Investigators learned she had been shot at another location.

They say the shooting was part of a group committing and planning to commit armed robberies between Ellijay and Jasper.

A total of seven people have been arrested so far in the case.

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“I mean as a father-of-three ... I mean that’s horrible,” said James Maulden, who lives in the area. “Nobody wants to hear this. I hope nobody wants to hear this.”

Deputies said Warden died at the hospital. Investigators say she was shot 5 miles away on Talona Road.

Elaine Najjar told Jones that she thought she heard a woman scream that night.

“I saw the disabled car going through and I knew it was out of character for what was happening,” Najjar said. “It’s disheartening.”

She believes that was the car that Warden was in after she was shot.

Najjar says this type of violence is so out of character for her community.

“We’re not used to it here. And that’s not what we’re looking for. That’s why we move out here,” Najjar said.

Some people say as their county grows more people bring big city problems there.

The sheriff said this is still an active investigation and more arrests may be on the way.

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