Joanne Howell, 70, had been the subject of a Mattie’s Call after disappearing from her Ellenwood neighborhood Friday evening.
ELLENWOOD, Ga. — A 70-year-old DeKalb County woman reported missing over the weekend was found dead Monday in a lake near her Ellenwood home, ending a search that began after authorities issued an alert asking for the public’s help locating her.
DeKalb County police identified the woman as Joanne Howell. Police had issued a Mattie’s Call after Howell was last seen around 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in the 3600 block of Satellite Terrace. Her body was recovered Monday morning from Misty Lake, less than a mile from the area where she disappeared. Authorities have not announced an official cause of death, and police said the investigation remains ongoing.
Police and fire crews responded around 7 a.m. Monday to the 3900 block of Misty Lake after receiving a report of a possible drowning. Water rescue personnel entered the small lake after a body was reported in the water. The medical examiner arrived later that morning, and authorities confirmed before noon that the person recovered was Howell.
The discovery brought an end to a search that had continued through the weekend. Howell’s family had been looking for her after realizing she had left home and had not returned. The Mattie’s Call broadened the effort by notifying the public that authorities were searching for a missing older adult.
Before Howell was found, police said she was 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed about 134 pounds. She had last been seen wearing a white shirt and a pink bonnet over black locs. Investigators had not determined which direction she traveled after leaving the Satellite Terrace area.
Howell’s daughter, Jacquelyn Daniel, said her mother had Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and also faced significant limits on her mobility. Daniel said Howell had rheumatoid arthritis and had undergone two total hip replacements. Her mother typically did not walk farther than a nearby stop sign and back, she said.
Daniel said the family initially believed Howell had gone outside to smoke. When she did not return, relatives began searching and reported her missing. Family members continued looking through the weekend before authorities notified them Monday that Howell had been found.
How Howell reached Misty Lake has not been explained publicly. The lake is near Howell’s home, but her daughter’s account of her limited mobility has left an important part of the timeline unresolved. Police have not released findings establishing what happened between Howell’s disappearance Friday evening and the discovery Monday morning.
Authorities also have not announced whether investigators found signs of injury or other circumstances that could explain Howell’s death. An official cause and manner of death had not been released as of Tuesday, and police said their investigation was continuing.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 11, 2026.