“My mom was just the most beautiful soul you can imagine,” her son Michael Bowles said.
A beloved grandmother was fatally stabbed in the garage of her Buckhead home. The body of 77-year-old Eleanor “Ellen” Bowles was discovered by her son Michael Bowles and his wife, Katie, who had come down to Atlanta from Washington D.C. for the holidays. “The lights were off, the television was off and it was getting dark and there were packages on the front stoop, which is also unusual,” Bowles explained to WSB-TV. “So after knocking on the front door, I ran around the back to see if her car was there and I was hoping she was maybe running an errand and left her phone, and that’s when I found her,” Bowles recalled.
Woman killed in Atlanta robbery was mother, grandmother who loved animals
— KVUE News (@KVUE) December 12, 2022
https://t.co/m7Y6nsNmbw
According to a GoFundMe, Eleanor was "preparing for the Christmas holiday when she was found stabbed to death in her garage with her car stolen." Police were quick to arrest 23-year-old Antonio Brown who has been charged with her murder. Homicide commander Lt. Dearlove said the motive appears to be a crime which was interrupted when the woman encountered the suspect attempting to steal her Lexus SUV, reports 11Alive.
“It’s been a relief and we are very pleased with how quickly the police moved we’ve had a ton of help,” Bowles said. He added to the killer, “You messed with the wrong person. You don’t mess with Ellen. You don’t mess with my mom, and you know justice is going to be served and he’s going to get what’s coming to him,” he replied.
Eleanor is remembered as a "kind, precious, funny, loving mother, grandmother, and friend -- and so much more." The family said she would have cringed to be considered an "elderly" woman. In fact, she had just gotten back from a trip to Portugal. “My mom was just the most beautiful soul you can imagine,” he said. “She was the treasurer of her gardening club,” he said. “She dominated the Sunday crossword puzzle and just was super, super sharp.” The 77-year-old also had a passion for reading and gardening.
Message from Eleanor Bowles' son to her killer: “You messed with the wrong person. You don’t mess with Ellen. You don’t mess with my mom..." https://t.co/RXA3tD7bvf
— WSB Radio (@wsbradio) December 15, 2022
Michael is now trying to spread awareness about violent and senseless crimes in Atlanta. "This is not a way a family should have to spend their holiday season -- mourning and grieving the death of a loved one," Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr said, according to 11 Alive. Money is being raised from a fundraiser that will go to an organization Ellen (an animal lover) cared about--The Atlanta Humane Society "to honor her memory and raise awareness against horrific crimes like these in the future." The fundraiser stated, "Her family has made it their mission to prosecute those responsible and ensure that the people of Atlanta can feel safe in their homes,"
"Mom was a North Star in my world. She was a beautiful soul." Eleanor Bowles loved her family, animals (esp. her golden retriever), & gardening. Her son, Michael, says her death won't be in vain. He knows it will spark change. How she's being remembered, tonight on @11AliveNews pic.twitter.com/pO0gsgvGdM
— Paola Suro 11Alive (@PaolaSNews) December 12, 2022
References:
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/ellen-bowles-remembered-loving-grandmother/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/77yearold-woman-murdered-in-buckhead-home
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
