David Emmanuel Rivera Zavala
The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating the homicide of a 41-year-old woman who died on Monday as a result of injuries sustained during the weekend.
On Saturday, at approximately 1:15 a.m., Myrna Rosales, of Dalton was brought to Hamilton Medical Center in a personal vehicle. Ms. Rosales was unconscious when she arrived at the emergency room. The man who brought her to the hospital advised emergency room personnel that she had been visiting with him and had left his residence.
He said a few minutes later, he was going to leave his residence and discovered her lying at the bottom of his front porch stairs.
The man left the hospital awhile later. Upon examining and treating the victim, medical personnel discovered her injuries were not consistent with someone just falling down some stairs. The sheriff’s office was contacted and initiated an investigation.
The man who had transported Ms. Rosales to the emergency room was identified as David Emmanuel Rivera Zavala, 28, of 1402 Classic Chase Drive, Dalton. Investigators determined Ms. Rosales and Zavala had an argument at his residence shortly before she was brought to the hospital.
Investigators were unable to locate Zavala and believed he had fled from the area. Information was developed that he had some relatives living in the Aurora, Il., area. Illinois authorities were notified to be on the look out for Zavala. He was located and taken into custody the same day in Aurora by Illinois authorities, on charges of aggravated battery.
On Sunday, a Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene technician and a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation traveled to Aurora to process the suspect’s vehicle and interview the suspect.
The body of Ms. Rosales will be transported to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy. Investigation to continue.
Sheriff’s investigators and GBI agents collecting evidence at scene of the homicide