Murder warrants issued in death of Columbus foster girl who disappeared from hotel

Atlanta police have secured warrants for two suspects in the murder case of 17-year-old Dennetta Franks, a foster care girl who was found fatally shot in Atlanta after running away from a hotel in Columbus two months ago.

The warrants are for Wayne Bailey, 19, of Newnan, and Eddie Byrd, 18, of Atlanta, both of whom are currently in custody in Dekalb County on charges for a separate incident, according to Officer Lisa Bender, a public affairs officer in the Atlanta Police Department.

They are currently in custody for a Sept. 19 attempted carjacking in Atlanta at 275 Mellrich Ave NE, according to information provided by Atlanta police.

On Sept. 21, Franks’ body was found in Atlanta in the middle of Hortense Place Northwest near the intersection of Florence Place Northwest. Her family recognized a facial reconstruction circulated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and contacted police to make the identification.

Franks went missing Sept. 7 while staying at the Holiday Inn Express located at 7336 Bear Lane in Columbus. She was a ward of the state under the supervision of a guardian from Cedar Tree Children and Family Services, an organization responsible for juveniles awaiting placement into a home by the Department of Family and Children Services, according police and DFCS officials.

Three months before she went missing, Franks told police that she was raped at an apartment in north Columbus after running away from her Cedar Tree guardian at the hotel in another incident, according to a Columbus police report.

Neighbors near the Hortense Place/ Florence Place Northwest intersection in Atlanta said they heard gunshots between 5 and 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 21, but didn’t discover Franks’ body until after sunrise, according to police reports. Upon arrival, police said they found her lying in a roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Murder warrants issued in death of Columbus foster girl who disappeared from hotel."