A 22-year-old popular social media influencer was found dead near the site where her vehicle was engulfed in flames in suburban Atlanta.
Local officials responded to a fire just before 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 23 near Jerkins Boulevard and Launders Street, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. When the firefighters arrived, they discovered the car and extinguished it before sending it to a wrecker yard.
According to the report, when law enforcement went to the address where the vehicle was registered, they found out a woman, identified as Beauty Couch of Austell, had not been seen for about 24 hours. Couch frequently drives the car and is reportedly the owner’s daughter.
Police said officers returned to the location where the car was originally found and discovered a body in the woods that matched her description, the AJC reported.
Per reports, police suspected “foul play.”
The victim’s mother, Kimberly Couch, expressed her emotions during an interview with WAGA-TV FOX5 Atlanta, describing her daughter as a “sweet girl” and a college student.
“She never bothered nobody. She never bothered nobody. She was a friend to everybody,” Kimberly said, per the outlet. “They burned my baby’s car up. They burned her car up. They treated her like she was a dog. I don’t like that.”
Couch, known as @beautykatera on Instagram, has more than 150,000 followers on the social media platform. A glance at her page shows that she regularly posted roller skating content and was offering in-person and as well as virtual lessons.
The comments are filled with her supporters calling for justice and offering their condolences. “Roll in power queen you will be missed,” one person said.
Authorities arrested a man allegedly linked to Couch’s death, identified as 21-year-old Eugene Louis-Jacques of Florida. The suspect, who was reportedly her boyfriend, was taken into custody on Aug. 25 on charges of aggravated assault, arson and murder, per several outlets.
According to Couch’s online obituary, she was just one semester away from earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Clayton State University. After graduating college, Couch planned to start a career in child psychology.
