Teen Girl Found Dead After Pool Party

[BLANK_AUDIO] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> Next bit, Fairy Road. >> Tell me exactly what happened. >> All right, so my maintenance team has been cleaning the pool this morning. And we've noticed a little blood here at the pool, but he was just cleaning around the picnic, the Kavanaugh area. And he just noticed it was a dead body. >> Okay. >> Here at the pool. >> Here at the pool. >> That information? >> In the back. >> In the back. >> Okay. >> And it's by the guvibo. >> It looks like they took a piece of our cabana and a coverer. So this was in the last 24 hours. >> Okay, I'm sending someone to assist you. Please leave everything as you found it. [BLANK_AUDIO] >> When officers from the Roswell Police Department arrive at the apartment complex on the border of Roswell and Alpharetta, Georgia, they head straight to the pool area. [BLANK_AUDIO] >> So that's been 49. On the back side. Try to look over that. It would be better if we said transform. [BLANK_AUDIO] >> Jesus Christ. >> They put that on top of her angle. >> No, they just said they noticed a piece of the cabana was missing. >> On the ground, behind the guzibo lies the naked body of a young female. She's partially covered by a piece of cabana. Her skin is blue and she's suffered a head injury. >> Yeah, see, it looks like blood right there. The trail. Yeah, you see how the blood here is the trail right there. >> Lord, heart. >> It's a murder for sure. >> So? >> Yeah, the way she's positioned back there, behind the guzibo. >> It's going to be a crime scene at this point. She's going to be obvious. >> Yes. >> Let me just, yeah, if you want to. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] >> Okay, okay. >> Yeah, if you don't mind just doing what you're doing, I'm going to go and tape everything. We need to get everybody's info who was here this morning and who set foot in the floor. But we're going to do it inside the office now if we can. >> As officers secure the crime scene and wait for homicide detectives to arrive, they take statements from the apartment complex management and maintenance team. >> And you guys are just inside or do you guys worry guys are outside? >> The only time we went out was just to laugh around and make sure everything's fine. You know, we have a big meeting today with the big bosses. >> Okay. >> So I was only out for a few minutes just looking at the gazebo. Like, what is this mess? Can we clean it up? We didn't know what it was. >> Okay, well, what kind of mess you find just the thing missing and everything was. >> No, the thing was missing. We noticed some stains. We thought it was chocolate ice cream. We saw condom paper, chocolate ice cream paper. And then might notice that it looks like a little blood. So then he looked closely and we noticed that it was blood. So they were looking for, I believe, the other part of the gazebo. >> Yes. >> Guys, we're good. That's what she's about to do. That's what she was talking about. Maybe I didn't. I'm working, but I saw the proof of chocolate bread. I saw like a hand. I just lay it in the cream. It was like a mannequin hand. Like it gets super. So I get a breath stick when I leave it off. And I saw the fever. I'm back it off. >> If he came in here, it tells me immediately. And I call the police immediately. >> Okay, great. There's no identification near the victim's body. But one of the maintenance men points out some other potential evidence. >> I got one extra condom. He was condom and got the bushes right there. >> There's a new found one. >> There's still there. >> Not for one of the upper nutrition. I got one. I saw one right there right now. When I was before y'all come. I was working grassy one. >> Right there. >> That's what the other one is. Okay, we got to use one of them and then you'll don't want to have the trash can in there. Hey, Orrick, you're a guy in there that found him, was saying this morning, so he says he sees one over there, they found one used condom, there's another used condom and then He said he found some clothing, and that's all in the trash game, but he said there's a condom still in the bushes over here. Police also find blood stains on some of the pool furniture. When officers search the premise for security cameras, they come up empty. I'm gonna start making content with some of the neighbors, I see if they're home, get their info and ask them if they saw anything and I want to see how it gets here, I'll pass it a lot. So, did you guys witness anything or do you know, did you, did you hear anything last night there? No, come. Well, if you hear anything, let us know, okay, all right, thank you. However, several residents report they did hear noise coming from the pool area last night. It got so rowdy, one resident said he called the police and filed a noise complaint. "A lot of people had a karaoke machine yelling and screaming all the way up to it. I mean, I let it go until 1/30 before I decided to call it in about 1/30, it kind of disperse right after I don't know if they came or if they just left. So this was, this had to be, I came out to my balcony and it had to be 12, 30's. What you heard in the pool didn't sound like they were just having a good time. It sounded like a good time, it was going on. As officers continue canvassing the apartment complex, a woman thrives up to the scene. She's looking for her missing granddaughter, 17-year-old Mercedes Simps. What's that? Who's that Okay, do you want us park over here for >> It's pretty high, I'll let you stay in your car. >> Yeah. >> Okay, how do you say your name? >> Mercedes. >> Common spelling like the car? >> Yeah. >> And what's her last name? >> Sims, S-I-M-S. Is that not why y'all are you? >> Well, I don't know. We're just here for something. >> Well, Tiffany, she heard, heard, got locked and she said she dropped anything. They'll be right here. >> Okay, what's her date of birth? >> Today's my birthday and I come up here to visit them. She's not out last night. >> Okay, it's no problem. Just let me know. >> She's 17. So, Tiffany will be right here. >> Okay, Tiffany is who? >> Come on. >> Can you call her? >> Yeah. >> Can you call her? >> Yeah. >> She's 17. She's 17. >> Okay. Tiffany is who? >> Come on. >> Can you call her? >> Can you call her back and tell her to meet me over here, please? >> Yeah. >> I need to just call her if you can. >> I'll be right back. >> Hey, sir. Start a volume with this. Do we have a chaplain that we can call? I think we may possibly have the-- >> Maybe we should have a phone number. >> Okay, that's kind of that. This might be the victim's grandmother and her mom might be coming over here right now. Okay. They just said that their daughter's not got a 1 o'clock in the morning to meet somebody at the pool. So, I've got her name, but grandma's like-- >> No, let them sleep. Have they, do they know yet? >> No, I haven't told them yet. And I haven't confirmed it. So, I'm still getting information. But it sounds like it's going to be one of the detectives. >> Okay. >> Mercedes' mother, Tiffany, appears. And it's clear she is fearing the worst. >> Check out for you. >> Okay. >> I understand. I understand. Listen. Something did happen. We should calm down and help us out. >> Okay. >> I need the information. - Yes, my daughter. - Yes, my daughter. - Okay, so just, I don't know, I don't know. She here. - We have a founder. We don't know. - According to Tiffany, last night, she picked up Mercedes and her younger sister from a pool party here around 10.30 p.m. But this morning, Mercedes was nowhere to be found. In a panic, Tiffany logged into Mercedes' snapchat account and discovered that after they arrived home last night, Mercedes had messaged her friend that she was going to sneak out and return to the pool to meet up with him. The officer gathers more information from Mercedes' sister. - Okay, what does she look like? - Uh, she's. - He's banding and white. - Oh, she has, she has, she has, she has, she has, she has. - It's okay, come on, we're gonna talk to you. - No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, - No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. - Is it personal, Jon? - No, I already told you this. - Let's set the link to shade so I can see a little bit better. - She looks like that. - Okay, okay, thank you so much, and the other officer said that you may know who your sister was supposed to be meeting last night. - Yeah, I know who he is. - Do you know what his name is? - It's Drony. - Where is he live? - He lives down there. I can't tell you where apartment is, but I'm gonna show you, yeah. - All right, so I'm gonna have you ride with me, and then they're gonna follow behind. And then I'm gonna break you back here. That way you're out of the way. - And nothing. - As her sister leads police to Mercedes friend's apartment, an officer shows Mercedes photo to one of the detectives. - Yeah, that's her, that's her. - Yeah, is anyone actually told them are they just assuming like it's, I think, officially, nothing's been confirmed 100% but, you know, like she said, you have a mother's intuition. - Yeah, so. - Now that police are positive, Mercedes sims is their victim, they need to find out what happened to her and who is responsible. Police may contact with Mercedes friend. - You just hang out here for a second. I just want to ask you a couple questions. - Do you have any idea where we're here? - I don't want to, I just want to know. - No, I said, do you have any idea why we are here? - Oh, yeah. - Why? - I don't know if you're here. - I don't know if you're not here. - No, that's not here. - What's going on? - Mercedes. - Is that your name? - Yeah, I'm looking for it. - Um, yeah, so we're looking for Mercedes. Her parents reported a missing. - Yeah, so we're just trying to do an investigation. - I don't know which one might be at. - That's cool. - How do you know Mercedes? - To my little brothers. - Okay. - Big one of those. - Big one of those. - No, I know the same school one. - Which school is that? - Is it Teddy? - Okay. - And what grade are they in? - I believe. - My brother. - He's in junior now. - If you'd be a senior next year or something. - Oh, okay. - I don't know, I guess he's in junior 16. - I guess he's in junior 16. - He's in junior 17. - Yeah, she's calling. You can answer it. Mercedes friend excuses himself for a moment to speak with his father's girl friend. Then he resumes his conversation with police. - Okay, so you might not will throw the pool before. - What's my name, man? - Oh, one of our friends, my missing son. - We're missing. - We're trying to talk to all of our friends and see if they know where she might be or why she might have left last night. - You don't know where she was. - No, no, no, no, she was hanging out with him again. - She's gonna come home. - I don't know what happened. - Is it okay if we talk to him from there? - Yeah, he'll be here. - Wait, first get back in. - Chris? - All right. All right, we didn't go master. - He said there's a little brothers in there where Chris is crazy. - You all right? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Okay, I put it in a fog on my throat. - All right, so you mentioned to your, you mentioned to her that you guys hung out last night? - Yeah, about one time. - Well, really, we just all let the pool run light. - I want to say like eight nine o'clock and then we just chill. - Okay, I think her sister had to go home when it had a curfew for like 10, 30 or something like that. - Okay. - So they went ahead and did. And it was all like, now we're gonna push back though. I don't know if they were sneaking out or they were just going, you know, trying to rob their parents to people or whatever. But they said, now we just go, we don't push back, go, we don't come. - So they were gonna go home first? - Yeah, they weren't gonna come with that. - Yeah, they said they were gonna go home first. - And what time do they leave the pool? - Um, probably. - The sludge in at 204 is more than 1010, 1040s when they left the pool. - So after they left, did you talk to them? Do they text you? Do they call it your sister? - My sister texted me, she said, "What you doing later?" I said, "What time does she text you back?" - Um, that's probably my power to 11, 11 something. - Okay. - So I said, "What's the later?" - You know what I mean? - And then she takes back four seconds and she takes back. She said, "I mean, yes, there's just going to be at the pool. You know, I'll come there." I said, "All right, that's cool." I said, "We'll tell you what you're thinking about doing." And she said, probably around like 12, I was like, "Okay, that's cool." And then, I never showed up. I ain't gonna go home. I ain't gonna go home around like 12, 15, 12, 20. - He says, once he got home, Mercedes messaged him on Snapchat. - The last time. - The last time. - Probably like 12, 36, 12, 40. That wasn't my room by that time. - And then she said, "Come meet me over here?" - No, she said, "I actually said where you were." 'Cause you know, she said 12, so I was thinking, "It was kind of past that time." - Okay. - So I was like, "Where's she at?" And she was like, "I'm getting dressed right now." - So at 12, 40, she was like, "I'm getting dressed to come back at the pool." - And then, after that, I never got the text back. She never says, "I didn't even respond when she said I was getting dressed so far." She couldn't even get dressed like, "I don't know." - And then, she never responded to that. - Did you go back over to the pool after she said she was getting dressed? - No, not as I ever said about that time. I was in my bed going to sleep. - So who was at the pool at last night, showing me my two little brothers, my boy name, Chase, and my boy name. We called this rainbow, what is his name? - Yeah. - When homicide detectives learn where Sadie's friend has been located, they make a request. - They're going to ask Sadie just if we just drive him up to the police problem and talk to him there. - Oh. - But under a rest day, he's going to talk to you there. - Is that okay? - That's cool. - As he leaves for the police station, investigators prepare to execute a search warrant on his apartment. - Are detectives informed us they are going to want to get a search warrant? - Search warrant? - Yes, for the apartment. - To do so search for what? - I'm not sure. We just need you guys to hang out outside. - All right, let me get some more calls on. - At the police station, detectives inform Sadie's friend, that Mercedes has been found dead by the pool. He swears he didn't harm her and he agrees to give them a sample of his DNA. Detectives propose a theory. Maybe someone else from the party met up with Mercedes at the pool last night. Maybe Mercedes death was an accident and maybe whoever was with her panicked and tried to cover it up. They posed the question to him. Do you think anyone who was with you last night could be capable of something like that? He surprisingly responds yes, his brother, 18-year-old Elijah Foster. But it's not just his answer that triggers detectives suspicion about Elijah. They learn Elijah has a criminal record that includes burglary and credit card theft. And, in nearby Guinette County, there's an outstanding warrant for his arrest on statutory rape charges. Later that day detectives locate Elijah at his girlfriend's house. Uh, we'll talk in a second, ballman. You know what happened? You want to talk to us? All right, let's go. Mr. Foster, if you will, we'll just turn that one out. And straight down to the all the way to the answer. After a detective reads him his rights, Elijah says he's ready to tell the truth about last night. So, um, Mercedes last night, it was all, it was me. Kays, my brother, my two brothers, and Mercedes. So that we always saw men know, I'm not gonna lie, it would be something we saw men just hanging out, playing music. And it got like around like, she, she told us she had to leave her like 10, 10, 15. So her mom actually came, her mom and dad, it came to pick her up, okay? So we seen it, we seen it, we seen it, we didn't leave anything to get picked up. By my understanding, and I know she was actually supposed to sneak out and see my brother. I guess they had? Yeah. Okay. They're for a long time. Hey, he opened up about everything. Yeah, so they were supposed to, you know, they had a thing, not like any negative, but they were talking to each other, you know, and all of that. But at the same time I know my friend Shakespeare. He actually was trying to talk to her too, and he told her, "Hey, sneak out too." So I'm like, "Okay, I knew that, but I was just, you know, we all just in the moment, she'll explain it to me." So Shakespeare's back there too? Yeah, okay. According to Elijah, after Mercedes and her sister left, he and his boys hung out at the pool for another hour, then they all went home. Well, that was the time of that. So, I know Mercedes was supposed to sneak out around 12, very often she said, "Toe of Chase, she's supposed to sneak out, like 12, 31, her parents went to sleep." So that was where I'm like, I'd say, 11, 30. I love it, they're almost 12. Okay. So really almost 12, maybe. And then all I heard today is like, "Okay, so Mercedes is missing." And then all of a sudden, I guess the maintenance man found my dad told me to make this man found a body at the pool. I'm the owner right now and I don't believe you, you know. I don't know what happened. I'm not saying anything. And if somebody else did it, and you're lying to me to protect that person, guess what that makes you an accomplished murderer. Are you ready? You know something. Are you ready to risk the rest of your life for somebody at some stake? No. That's what you do. You know what you're telling me. I know she linked up with Chase. That's my friend. Chase linked up where I know he did. They told me this morning, but like, when I was with my girlfriend, he told me this day. You gotta tell me what happened? I know they linked up at the pool. I know he told me he shut all the lights off at the pool that was there. He told you more than that, right? He had sex with her. I know he did. He told me all that. What else did he tell me? He had sex with her. And then that was it. I didn't talk to him last night. And what else did he drown her home? Did he? I don't know. Did he leave her there? No, he asked me for a condom. I gave him a condom last night at the pool. Before we all left. Yeah. Like before anybody left. Okay. Well, I was texting her, say, why she was at the pool, I gave him one. He asked me for one. And then when everybody left and dispersed, he texted me and he was like, I'm pushing back up on the futile rhythm. I went to sleep, but that's all. I don't want to get chase and trouble, but just please do not tell him I told you or anything or anything. I'm standing up, but oh my gosh. The detective senses Elijah is still holding something back. You have fewer there. You need to tell me. Did he go back and help him? No. No. Ewa, you were about to help him. No, I didn't. He's going to. What's he going to tell him? Is he going to tell me you were about to help him? I promise I didn't go back and help him, but I know what he did. You know we did one. I don't. I guess she said it. He said it. She, I think she had her head. I don't know. And then, I don't know. I think she'd trace that she's from out of this. I don't even know her. Someone I guess she had. She, when she was unconscious, we try to like, try to see if she was breathing, try to revive her or what not. And this used to tell me he was freaking out over the phone and I was on face with him. And a ISE took the part from the gazebo. I didn't know what to think or do. I didn't know what to call. So I was scared to call. Police, my son. I hope you're being honest man. I can be honest. I promise. I think you might be. But I hope you are. I hope he comes in and tells me the same thing. And I hope so too. I hope he fests. So we just, even if it was an accident. And I'm going to let you know we we won't be getting DNA from everybody. Not just from her shoulders or her hands, but into the parts. And if we get DNA back, from the match of yours, we're going to have different talk. Okay. Uh, cover the roll out that is what I want to do. Uh, so I'm going to get a few people swaddle of you to make sure you don't have any DNA anywhere in that private areas. Is that okay? All right. I'm going to go get that set up. While the detective collects Elijah's DNA, back at the crime scene, investigators continue their search of Elijah's apartment. And they uncover new evidence. Okay. So let's see here. This is wet. Yeah, all this stuff is like soaked, soaked. Yeah. These shorts are soaked. Well, they're shorts. And you should get a trace DNA evidence on them. So that's part of the search warrant we could take it. According to his family, those wet clothes belong to Elijah. Detectives interviewing Elijah get word of this and confront him. And why do you have a complete set of clothes that soaking wet with soaking wet tennis shoes at your house? Because he was at the pool. But after another round of denials, Elijah Caves, he admits he was at the pool with Chase and Mercedes. It was pretty different than I was just sitting. I was sitting where it was, where everyone was sitting. And I was actually by the gate on the outside, where the bottles were and the don't breath in a tent. They were in the pool. I was on the phone with the music and all of a sudden the pictures started. Yeah. And Chase started yelling. And Mercedes, she was under the wine. I guess so. And I think she decided to edge for something and chase me frozen. And then we just started yelling. And you got in and then what? I got in and I got out there. And I pulled her out and she wasn't breathing. What was she doing? I did mouth to mouth for her. I was pushed out. I was doing CPR. Did you see her bleeding from anywhere? When you were doing CPR? I don't know. I looked like her nose. I took her nose and bleeding on her mouth. So that wasn't how she was under the water. I don't know. I don't know. She's not breathing all the way. I knew she was deceased. Elijah says in a panic, Chase dragged Mercedes body behind the gazebo and covered her with a cabana tarp. And he felt the mother pool water and tried to clean up the scene. I don't know. We sat right after you. He clicked. We separated after he could try to clean up a little bit. I grabbed my clothes and my bag. Then I just went home and I didn't say anything to him after that. There was no words spoken afterwards. Does anybody else know? After his confession, Elijah Foster is placed under arrest and charged with concealing the death of another. While he remains locked up in the Fulton County jail, detectives locate his friend Chase and bring him in for questioning. Despite Elijah's accusations, Chase adamantly denies any involvement in Mercedes' death. He swears he left the pool party with his brother and their friends around 1230 that night and he never came back. His alibi sticks when detectives interview Chase's brother and their friends. They all vouch for him. So does the DNA evidence because the two condoms recovered at the crime scene test positive for only one suspect's DNA. And that suspect is Elijah Foster, which leads detectives to one conclusion. Elijah and Elijah alone was there when Mercedes died. However, even though the medical examiner concludes that Mercedes died from forcible drowning and her death is ruled a homicide, authorities determine there is not enough evidence to prove Elijah intentionally killed her and he is not charged with murder. As Elijah remains behind bars, Mercedes is laid to rest. Heartbroken, her family and friends recall the honor student as a warm, open spirit, who befriend everyone and brighten the lives of all those who knew her. In November of 2025, Elijah Foster pleads guilty to concealing the death of another and making a false statement. He has sentenced to six years in prison and four years probation. From Mercedes' family, the punishment does not fit the crime and Elijah's refusal to answer their questions about what really happened that night compounds their pain. At Elijah's sentencing, Mercedes' mother Tiffany says, quote, "The events of May 29, 2019 shattered our world in a way that words can barely describe. We live with a constant, almost unbearable need for the truth. Mercedes was a victim and now my family is a victim of the system." [Music]