Georgia Lee Moses would have turned 36 this week. She may have gone to university. Raised a family. Had a successful career. But she never got the chance.
In August 1997, Georgia’s short life ended when she was just 12 years old. Her younger sister, Angel Turner, was only seven years old at the time, but her memories are still fresh and alive.
“She almost raised me,” Angel told Dateline. “She took care of me, she cooked for me, she loved me. She embodied what a mother was, and she did it effortlessly. ‘
Georgia was not a typical 12-year-old girl. Her family and friends remember her as an old soul, caring and responsible. Whether it was to protect a classmate from bullying or to take care of the task of her sick mother or to look after her younger sister, she did it without complaining.
At the time, Angel lived in a foster home, and Georgia, who lived with their mother in Santa Rosa, stayed with a family friend and always made sure she went to examine her younger sister.
“She’s going to braid my hair,” Angel told Dateline. “She always did my hair. She came over that night … the last night she was seen. I begged her to take me with her. She said she could not but that she would come back for me. She never did. That was the last time I saw her. ‘
That night was the night of August 13, 1997. Angel told Dateline that she later discovered that Georgia and a friend were hanging out when Georgia found a page on her page and dialed back the number.
Some time later, the friend Georgia walks to a gas station near the intersection of Sebastopol Road and Dutton Avenue in Santa Rosa, where the friend says Georgia leaves with an unknown man. This was the last time she was seen alive.
More than a week later, on August 22, 1997, a Caltrans worker repaired a broken handrail at 101 Highway in Petaluma, California, and discovered the body of a young girl in a forest of trees. But she was not immediately identified.
On the same day, back in Santa Rosa, Child Protective Services (CPS) visited Angel’s foster home. She told Dateline that they inquired about her sister.
“Eight days have passed since I saw my sister,” Angel said, crying. “I knew something was wrong because she always came to see me. When I was seven years old, I had to report my sister missing. ”
According to Sonoma County Sheriff’s spokesman Sergeant Juan Valencia, Georgia was strangled. Her body was so badly decomposed that she had to be identified by dental records. The coroner was named on August 13, the last day Georgia was seen, as her date of death.
Sergeant Valencia told Dateline that he could not discuss additional details about the case because it is an ongoing and active investigation.
“It simply came to our notice then. But as new clues come in, we follow up on each of them, ”said sergeant. Valencia said. “It was the murder of a 12-year-old girl. We want to solve this for the family and for Georgia. ”
In 1997, the sheriff of Sonoma County released a sketch of the man Georgia apparently saw with him. He was never identified and authorities did not name a person interested in Georgia’s murder.
“We are still looking for the person or persons responsible for the murder of Georgia,” said ao. Valencia told Dateline. “Someone knows something. We just hope the person will have the courage to come forward. ”
It’s been 23 years since Georgia was murdered, but her sister, Angel, told Dateline she feels like she’s just starting to process it. After Georgia is murdered, Angel and her mother move to Texas to live with her aunt. Angel eventually joined the military, got married and had three children.
“Life was hectic,” Angel explained. “But Georgia has always been in my heart. I knew she was gone, but it took me a long time to realize that she would not get justice unless I fought for it. ”
In her search for answers, she discovers that a woman named Lia Rowley, inspired by the story of Georgia, is establishing Santa Rosa’s The Children’s Village, a home for neglected and abused children. The non-profit organization lasted ten years, but closed down in early 2006 after losing money. Angel communicated with Lia, but never met her in person before she passed away.
“It broke my heart,” Angel said. “I wanted to thank her personally. But I never got the chance. ”
Georgia’s memory also lives on in Tom Waits’ song “Georgia Lee” from Petaluma from 1999. In the chorus for “Georgia Lee,” Waits asks, “Why didn’t God watch? Why did God not listen? Why was God not there for Georgia Lee? ‘
These were also questions Angel found. She was not alone. In 2019, she came across a private Facebook group of Georgia’s former friends and classmates, all looking for answers.
“It was comforting to find a community that cared about her,” Angel said. Angel is now 30 years old and lives in Texas. She homeschooled her three children while attending university classes and running her husband’s business.
In November 2020, she met Maria Martin. Maria, who was a year younger than Georgia, and went to the same school. Her father worked with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department and was on the team that recovered Georgia’s body.
“I grew up hearing this story.” Maria told Dateline. “And when I saw that the case was getting attention last year, I knew I had to help.”
Maria reaches out to Angel and has been her rock ever since. She created the Facebook page and website Justice for Georgia Lee Moses. Family lawyer Maria, now considered, is helping Angel conduct her own investigation into the Georgia murder.
“It just puts everything in perspective of how small the world is,” Maria said. ‘Of how many people were actually connected to Georgia. And we all just want justice for her. ‘
Angel told Dateline that over the years she had made many efforts to contact the Sonoma County sheriff to reconsider the matter, but said she often received little to no response.
“It hurts me that my sister’s killer has never been caught,” Angel said. ‘But it hurts me that those who want to help it do not seem to care. We the people do not have to fight the justice system for justice. ‘
But that did not stop her.
“Every day I mourn and I heal and I fight,” Angel said. “I’m not giving up.”
On January 7, 2021, about 30 people gathered for a memorial service on Georgia’s 36th birthday. Participants, asked to wear yellow for Georgia, shouted and chanted in downtown Petaluma, California: “Justice has no expiration date.”
“She protected me for seven years,” Angel said. “It’s now that we’re changed roles and that I’m the big sister. I’m the protector. I have to do it for her. That’s 23 years ago, but … justice has no expiration date. My sister will get her done right. ”
Anyone with information about Georgia’s case is asked to call the Sheriff of Sonoma County at 707-565-2185 or 707-565-2650. Anonymous tips can be submitted by Silent Witness. The case number is 978822-032.