Atlanta MD Murders Ex-wife...
Maggie
boys soon. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Forest Park doctor sought
in death of his ex-wife
By JULIE B. HAIRSTON and BILL MONTGOMERY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writers
A Forest Park doctor embroiled in a custody battle with his ex-wife is accused
of killing the woman and fleeing the state with their two young sons.
Phyllis Wooten
The body of Phyllis Wooten, 38, of Acworth was found Tuesday night under the
Mableton home of her ex-husband, Dr. Eric Robert Wooten, 34. She had been
reported missing Monday.
Brody Staud, spokesman for the Cobb County police, said a woman's body was
found wrapped in a blanket or carpet in the crawl space of Eric Wooten's house.
Police did not release a cause of death.
Forest Park police issued a murder warrant for Eric Wooten, a general
practitioner with an office in Forest Park. Authorities are looking for his
black 1997 Nissan Maxima GXE or GLE with a Georgia tag number 441 SKW. He is
believed to be traveling with his two sons, Eric Robert Wooten II, 5, and
Emmanuel Wooten, 4.
The doctor's co-workers said they overheard an argument between Eric and
Phyllis Wooten, an employee of the Internal Revenue Service, at 9:30 a.m.
Monday. Later, Eric Wooten told co-workers that they had argued and he had put
her out of his car, said Capt. Chris Matson of the Forest Park police.
The co-workers called police when they noticed her 2001 Ford Focus still parked
in the lot at the doctor's Forest Parkway office after 11 p.m. No one has seen
the doctor or his two sons since Monday, Matson said.
Staud said that Eric Wooten has relatives in Washington, D.C. Authorities
believe he is driving there with the boys.
Anyone with information on the location of Eric Wooten or his children should
contact Forest Park police at 404-366-4141.
Billy Abbott, administrator of the office at 528 Forest Parkway where Wooten
practiced, said Wooten, one of several physicians at the family medicine
clinic, had worked there for about 2 1/2 years.
Abbott said Wooten "personally struck me as one of the finest fellows I've ever
known. A fine physician and just a great all-around person."
"This is a tragic situation for everybody involved," Abbott said. "Our concern
is especially for the children. Our prayers go out to everyone."
The couple had gone through a "very unfriendly" divorce, said Forest Park
police Sgt. Bob Cottrell. Investigators believe Phyllis Wooten may have gone to
the clinic on Monday to pick up the children.
Forest Park police Capt. Jim Crockert said investigators on Tuesday interviewed
seven staff members at the clinic who heard the argument.
"While it was loud, nobody heard specifically what was said," Crockert said.
"We know there was an ongoing custody battle," he added.
Crockert said the FBI is assisting in the search.
-- Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
Maggie
"Researchers have long known that there is one extremely common genetic factor
that confers at least a ten-fold increase in the propensity to exhibit
criminally violent behavior. It is called the Y chromosome."--Francis S.
Collins