The Atlanta Police Department (APD) accused former Emory University custodian Steven Simmons of dumping a deceased woman at Perkerson Park in Capitol View, a neighborhood just south of Downtown Atlanta, and discarding her belongings in a “work trash bin.” According to arrest records from APD, Simmons is charged with concealing the death of another and tampering with evidence.
The victim, 57-year-old Tina Hatchet, was found unresponsive in the park on June 14 by an APD officer during a direct patrol session of the park for crime. Video surveillance from outside the park showed Simmons carrying Hatchet out of the car and placing her body on the ground of the park.
APD officers identified Simmons as the suspect in the video by tracking his blue SUV. He was arrested on June 14 while driving on Fulton Industrial Boulevard.
According to court documents, Simmons told police he picked up Hatchet near The Mall West End sometime between the night of June 13 and the morning of June 14, and after she had entered his vehicle, she became unresponsive. He told police he left her body in Perkerson Park. He claimed that he intended on calling 911 when he returned home, although he stated he had a working cell phone during the incident.
Simmons told the APD he then drove to Emory’s campus, where he dumped her clothes and personal items in a dumpster.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office is planning an autopsy to determine Hatchet’s cause of death.
Simmons’ employment at the University was terminated on June 18, according to Executive Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond. Diamond directed The Emory Wheel to APD for further information on the case. Fulton County Jail released Simmons on June 17 on a $17,500 bond.
Jacob Muscolino (he/him) (28C) is a News Editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Long Island and plans to major in History and Psychology. Outside of the Wheel, he is involved in Emory Reads and Emory Economics Review. You can often find Jacob watching the newest blockbuster for his Letterboxd, dissecting The New York Times and traveling to the next destination on his bucket list.
