Atlanta police admit mistakes made in missing airport worker case

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department has launched an internal investigation into the handling of airport video surveillance footage after an airport worker disappeared and ended up dead in the Yellow River.

Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran has been investigating the case for months, and APD officials admitted Friday they did not follow proper protocol and preserve airport surveillance video of Shanequa Sullivan.

The 23-year-old was last seen leaving Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in February. Her body was found weeks later about 40 miles away in Newton County.

Investigators released video Tuesday of Sullivan trying to use her Breeze Card to get on the MARTA but her card didn’t work.

Lead Newton County investigator Jeff Alexander said she was then seen walking toward the north terminal.

“The Atlanta Airport Police Department video is only stored for a 28-day period and we were already outside that 28-day period when we found the body," Alexander said.

Halloran asked Alexander why airport surveillance video wasn’t preserved by Atlanta airport police that could have shown the autistic woman’s movements after she went back to the north terminal.

“That would be a question for the Atlanta Police Department as they were the first ones that made the report,” Alexander said.

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Halloran asked that same question to Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos. He
released the following statement:

"Our investigators should have secured all surveillance video of Ms. Sullivan once she returned back to the airport, but that did not happen.

"We are opening an internal investigation to determine why that video was not secured.

"We have been able to locate some video of her coming back inside the airport, but it does not track all of her movements. We are working to provide that video to Newton County investigators."

Cox Media Group