I just drove home on Highway 92 after a doctor's appointment, so I drove into the Publix parking lot to take a look. Highway 92 is a very busy road with two to three lanes in either direction, connecting several neighborhoods and counties. This particular area is definitely upscale. There are shopping centers lining the road, but this Publix center is part of a huge complex consisting of several large buildings, placed at different angles so that the complex doesn't look like one big box.
The parking lot is segmented, and there are landscaped trees and grass throughout the Publix parking lot. Publix does not face Highway 92, instead it's right side lines up with the highway, with a large hedge and flowering bushes separating it from the road. Like I said, it's a high-end neighborhood, and during the day it is bustling, in the truest sense of the word.
When I drove through the parking lot an hour ago, there was a section of parking places with police tape around them, strung up on barrels. If you were standing facing the Publix entrance, the roped-off spaces would be in the rear left section of the lot, almost on the edge of the parking lot. I was too nervous to count, but there were six or seven roped off spaces, up against one of the trees planted to shade the parking area.
I didn't see any stains on the ground in that area, but I was really nervous for some reason and was scared to turn down that lane of the parking lot to get a better look. I know that the news reports said they were found in the back of the Publix, but these parking spaces gave me a chill. I feel it's possible that the victim's cars were actually parked in these spaces. The layout of the parking lot makes it feel more secluded, and you can't see it from Highway 92 due to the hedges and landscaping.
I drove straight out of the parking lot and took a right on Highway 92. Just at the end of the shopping center, there is a driveway that leads to the loading area behind the Publix with no gate or other barrier that I could see. Because the store does not face the road, the "back" of the store is actually on the side of the shopping plaza. This view of the loading area is easily recognizable from pictures the local news was showing all day Monday, when the bodies were discovered. I didn't see any roped-off areas back there, but I just peeked at it while driving on Highway 92. Publix seems to be using the area to receive merchandise as far as I could tell.
As mentioned upthread there is a 24-Hour Steak'n'Shake just next door to the Publix plaza, but it might as well be miles away due to the thick vegetation and landscaping that surround both properties. I actually went through the Steak'n'Shake drive thru to grab lunch and it was very still and quiet back there as I waited for my order. I don't know if I'd feel comfortable doing that at 2:00 am, or even midnight now, based on what happened just across the hedges.
I don't think I've seen this mentioned yet, but there is a beautifully-maintained park just a few blocks away, with walking and hiking trails, a memorial garden, and a dog park. If I was in high school, that's where I would want to go to park, or party, or whatever, but maybe the police presence is high there.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/leita-thompson-memorial-park-roswell
