Brookhaven woman's boyfriend charged with her murder after body found during search

Brandon Wineinger (Gwinnett County Police Department).

The boyfriend of Brookhaven woman, whose body was found earlier this week in Gwinnett County, is now facing a murder charge in connection to her death and disappearance.

Brandon Wineinger is accused of killing his girlfriend, 48-year-old Aimee Lafakis, who disappeared at the end of last month.

On Friday, Gwinnett County Police charged Wineinger with malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. Wineinger is already in custody on charges out of Brookhaven for kidnapping, burglary, tampering with evidence, concealing the death of another and giving false statements to authorities – all connected to the case.

According to investigators, Lafakis was supposed to have dinner with her daughter, but failed to show or respond to phone calls.  Lafakis' daughter went to her apartment to find her car there, but her mother nowhere to be found. 

Aimee Welch Lafakis (Credit: Brookhaven Police Department)

She was reported missing by family on Sept. 29. Her body was found on Drowning Creek Road in Gwinnett County a few days later, roughly 32 miles away from where she lived.

The family was stunned when they received the news. They told FOX 5 they needed time to process all that has happened.

Wineinger is currently incarcerated in the DeKalb County Jail.