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Disappearance and murder of Morgan Bauer

ONGOING2016Porterdale, Georgia5 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Morgan Bauer, 19, was last seen by coworkers leaving an Atlanta-area nightclub on February 25, 2016, shortly after moving to Georgia from South Dakota. Her mother said the people who left with her later reported dropping her at a gas station in Covington. Bauer posted a video from Yellow River Park in Porterdale the next day, and her social-media activity stopped after February 29.

In July 2023, the FBI assisted Porterdale police in searching a Broad Street property near the Yellow River. Authorities later confirmed that remains recovered there were Bauer's. Jonathan Alexander Warren and Katelyn Goble were arrested the following month and extradited to Georgia.

A Newton County grand jury indicted Warren and Goble in October 2023 on malice-murder, felony-murder, aggravated-assault, evidence-tampering, and concealment charges. Warren also faced a necrophilia charge. Those counts were allegations against both defendants at that stage, not findings of guilt.

On January 10, 2024, Warren pleaded guilty to malice murder, tampering with evidence, concealing a death, and necrophilia. A judge sentenced him to life in prison without parole. His conviction establishes his legal responsibility for Bauer's murder.

Goble remained charged, not convicted, at an October 2025 pretrial hearing concerning proposed evidence. No later trial or judgment was located through July 12, 2026. Her case therefore remains pending, and the record does not treat the prosecution's allegations as proved.

Key facts

Victims
Morgan Bauer
Date
2016
Location
Porterdale, Georgia
Case status
ongoing

Case timeline

  1. 2016-02-25

    Morgan Bauer was last seen by coworkers leaving an Atlanta-area nightclub.

  2. 2016-02-26

    Bauer posted a video from Yellow River Park in Porterdale.

  3. 2016-02-29

    Bauer's known social-media activity stopped.

  4. 2023-07

    Federal and local investigators searched a Porterdale property; remains recovered there were later identified as Bauer's.

  5. 2023-08

    Jonathan Alexander Warren and Katelyn Goble were arrested in connection with Bauer's death.

  6. 2023-10

    A Newton County grand jury indicted Warren and Goble on murder and related charges.

  7. 2024-01-10

    Warren pleaded guilty to malice murder and related offenses and was sentenced to life without parole.

  8. 2025-10-22

    A judge heard pretrial evidentiary arguments in Goble's still-pending case.

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People

  • Morgan Bauer

    VICTIM

    Nineteen-year-old who disappeared in February 2016 and whose remains were identified in Porterdale in 2023.

  • Jonathan Alexander Warren

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to malice murder and related offenses in January 2024 and was sentenced to life without parole.

  • Katelyn Goble

    CHARGED

    Charged with murder and related offenses; she had not been tried or convicted as of the latest located October 2025 hearing.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Porterdale, Georgia

33.5697, -83.8981

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Common questions

What happened to Morgan?
Morgan Bauer disappeared in Georgia in February 2016; her remains were identified in 2023, one defendant was convicted of murder, and a second defendant's prosecution remained pending at the audit cutoff.
Where did the murder happen?
Porterdale, Georgia.
Who was convicted?
Jonathan Alexander Warren (Pleaded guilty to malice murder and related offenses in January 2024 and was sentenced to life without parole.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: ongoing.
More cases in Georgia

Sources

  1. PRESS2 indicted on murder charges in 2016 death of dancer at Atlanta clubThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution · 2026-07-13
  2. PRESSJudge weighs admissibility of evidence in Georgia murder caseCourt TV · 2026-07-13
  3. PRESSMissing Morgan Bauer: Suspect pleads guilty to Porterdale teen's murderFOX 5 Atlanta · 2026-07-13
  4. PRESSIndictments reveal what led to murder charges in disappearance and death of Morgan BauerWSB-TV · 2026-07-13
  5. PRESSMan pleads guilty to murder of Morgan BauerWSB-TV · 2026-07-13

Record history

First published
JUL 13, 2026