Police: Friends dump woman's body after she dies from apparent asthma attack

PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. — One person is in jail and three others are facing charges after they said a 20-year-old woman died after an apparent asthma attack.

Investigators said Taylor Smith, 20, was with friends when she had the attack. Deputies told Channel 2's Ross Cavitt those friends then left her body outside a mobile home in Jasper when they couldn't revive her.

"As a mother, I'm angry. I'm so angry that they treated her the way they did," said Tanya Smith, Taylor's mother.

As a lieutenant with Holly Springs Police, Tanya Smith is used to dealing with people dealing with tragic events in their lives.

This one, though, hits her personally. Deputies found Taylor Smith lying near a trailer just down the road from the county jail.

"She didn't deserve just to be dumped on the side of the road, just because they didn't know what else to do," Smith said.

Investigators believe Taylor had suffered an asthma attack the night before, but instead of seeking help, those with Taylor tried to revive her with a cold shower and the next morning simply dropped her lifeless body off Robin Lane.

Someone, though, did call 911, and Pickens investigators, with the help of the GBI, tracked down four suspects.

Marty Gaddis, 38, faces charges that include concealing a death, abandonment of a body, tampering with evidence as well as drug and reckless-conduct charges. Investigator said more arrests will come.

"She wanted to experience everything possible before she settled into what she considered a normal life," Smith said. "In 19, 20 years, I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing. So, yeah, I think they should be prosecuted. I think they should pay for what they did to her."

WSBTV