Mercedes Wathen, a 25-year-old woman from Des Moines, was found dead on April 2, 2018, inside a residence at 8603 Warren Drive in Warren County, just south of the Des Moines city limits. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call reporting suspicious activity; officers at the scene considered the death suspicious. An autopsy determined she died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators quickly developed a person of interest. Jaquarious J’Ray Scoggins, then 18 and from Des Moines, was taken into custody shortly after the discovery; he was initially held on a material witness warrant and a prior robbery warrant. On April 13, 2018, Scoggins was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Wathen’s death. Authorities described the incident as isolated to the residence where she was found.

If anyone has information about Mercedes, her movements that day, or the residence at 8603 Warren Drive, please come forward.