Officer Chuck McPhilamy of the Marietta Police Department announced in a public information release that a suspect in the death of 42-year-old Samantha Wollery has been taken into custody.

[The Cobb County Courier has a policy of withholding or redacting the name of suspects unless and until the person is convicted in a court of law or enters a plea of guilty. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty, and the internet has no effective way of removing reports of arrest if the person is exonerated. We do make exceptions in high-profile cases or charges against public officials where exoneration is likely to be as widely publicized as the initial arrest]

MPD Detectives had collected evidence and secured a warrant, charging the ex-husband of the victim with Felony Murder, Felony Aggravated Assault, Felony Aggravated Battery, Felony Possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime, and Felony Malice Murder.  

Investigators believed that the suspect had fled to his primary residence in Carmel, Indiana.

The Carmel, Indiana, SWAT team searched multiple residences, and after the suspect was located and attempted to flee on foot, he was captured.

The Marietta Police Department investigators will now work on coordinating the suspect’s extradition to face charges here.

Original public information release

Here is the original public information release:

June 16, 2024

Homicide Investigation

Earlier this morning our officers on shift were notified by Cobb 911 dispatch that a woman living in the 425 Williams Drive apartment complex had been stabbed.

According to dispatch, the victim did not show up for work and her coworkers were concerned and drove to check on her.  When they arrived, they found her body on the floor inside the apartment.  She had visible cuts, was unresponsive and appeared deceased.  They exited the apartment and immediately called 911 requesting assistance.

We can confirm the woman did not survive the attack and was deceased when her coworkers arrived to check on her.  The victim, a 42-year-old female, was attacked inside her apartment overnight.  The door was closed but unlocked when her friends arrived.  The cause of death has not yet been determined.  Her name will be released after family notifications are made.

Like you, we have more questions than answers.  Detectives are working now to collect statements and gather evidence.  At this time, we do not have a suspect identified.

Anyone with information about who could have attacked the victim is urged to contact law enforcement immediately.  You can contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta if you have information and wish to remain anonymous.

About the City of Marietta

The City of Marietta is the county seat of Cobb County. The latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau puts the population of the city at 60,867 which makes it the second largest city in Cobb County by population, smaller only than the newly incorporated City of Mableton.

Here are a few quick facts from the Census Bureau

Marietta city, Georgia
Population, Census, April 1, 2020	60972
Population, Census, April 1, 2010	56579
Age and Sex
Persons under 5 years, percent	6.7%
Persons under 18 years, percent	21.8%
Persons 65 years and over, percent	13.2%
Female persons, percent	49.9%
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone, percent	53.4%
Black or African American alone, percent(a)	32.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a)	0.6%
Asian alone, percent(a)	1.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a)	0.0%
Two or More Races, percent	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino, percent(b)	15.7%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent	46.4%
Population Characteristics
Veterans, 2016-2020	2678
Foreign born persons, percent, 2016-2020	16.6%
Housing
Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2016-2020	44.0%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2016-2020	$310,100
Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2016-2020	$1,856
Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortgage, 2016-2020	$526
Median gross rent, 2016-2020	$1,145
Families & Living Arrangements
Households, 2016-2020	24148
Persons per household, 2016-2020	2.39
Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2016-2020	77.9%
Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2016-2020	23.7%
Computer and Internet Use
Households with a computer, percent, 2016-2020	95.1%
Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2016-2020	86.6%
Education
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020	88.6%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020	44.0%
Health
With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2016-2020	6.3%
Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent	20.2%
Economy
In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020	67.2%
In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020	61.2%
Total accommodation and food services sales, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	264544
Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1584232
Total manufacturers shipments, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1129407
Total retail sales, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1976915
Total retail sales per capita, 2012(c)	$33,875
Transportation
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2016-2020	28.5
Income & Poverty
Median household income (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020	$59,594
Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020	$36,112
Persons in poverty, percent	14.1%
Businesses
All firms, 2012	10501
Men-owned firms, 2012	4934
Women-owned firms, 2012	4186
Minority-owned firms, 2012	4286
Nonminority-owned firms, 2012	5502
Veteran-owned firms, 2012	1015
Nonveteran-owned firms, 2012	8663
Geography
Population per square mile, 2010	2451.4
Land area in square miles, 2010	23.08