Left: Jesus Monroy (Gwinnett Police Department). Right: Mia Campos (GoFundMe).
In Alabama, a 20-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend. The tragic incident occurred in July 2024 when the girl was found dead, strangled in a wooded area near her family’s home.
The suspect, Jesus Monroy, was arrested and now faces multiple serious charges including malice murder, felony murder, feticide, aggravated assault, enticing a child, statutory rape, and child molestation in connection to the death of Mia Campos.
Monroy was also charged with three counts of giving false information to police.
Reports from the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office reveal that Mia was in the late stages of pregnancy, approximately 38 weeks along, at the time of her death by strangulation.
Monroy had initially been arrested on one count of giving false information only a few days after Mia’s body was discovered. Soon after, authorities charged him with Mia’s murder, but he was released in August 2024 after posting 10% of his $56,000 bond.
As Law&Crime previously reported, officers with the Gwinnett County Police Department at about 1 a.m. on Monday, July 15, responded to a 911 call in the area of the 3600 block of Stephens Road in Loganville, Georgia, which is about 30 miles east of Atlanta. Police said Mia’s family members were the ones who discovered her body and then placed the initial call to 911.
The family explained to authorities that Mia had left their house the previous evening with an “unknown person.” When Mia did not come home, the family tracked her cellphone using a location app, which subsequently led them to her remains.
“Based on the initial evidence discovered at the scene, investigators were unable to determine how [Mia] Campos died,” police wrote in the release. “Detectives, crime scene investigators, and the medical examiner’s office all responded to process the scene and speak with witnesses. After an autopsy was completed on July 16, the medical examiner determined that the manner of [Mia] Campos’ death was a homicide.”
The cause of death was later determined to be “asphyxia due to neck compression,” USA Today reported.
Police said investigators initially detained Monroy, whom they describe as Mia’s ex-boyfriend, for “giving false statements to a police officer.” But authorities reportedly told Atlanta CBS affiliate WANF that Monroy is not the only suspect investigators are looking into.
Mia’s family confirmed to WANF that Monroy was the father of the pregnant teen’s child and also spoke about the traumatic moment when they found her body.
“I found my daughter laid face down,” her father, Edward Campos, told the station. “It was hard. I knew it was something wrong — her lips, her bleeding nose. They murdered my baby.”
Edward Campos reportedly said he was confident that police would find out what happened to his daughter, adding, “Justice is coming soon.”
Mia’s mother started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her daughter’s funeral.
Monroy is currently being held at the Gwinnett County Detention Center without bond, records show.
