A mother from South Carolina who went missing during a church conference trip over Valentine’s Day weekend has been located in a Georgia hospital, though she was without any of her belongings.
Lee McAllister, 37, departed from her home in Lexington, South Carolina, on Friday evening en route to Atlanta for a conference. Her family shared updates on Facebook.
She last communicated with her family that night, saying she might stay an additional day in Georgia before flying home the next day.
Surveillance footage captured her at a Publix supermarket around 3 p.m. Saturday, but after that, she stopped responding to calls and messages from her worried relatives, as mentioned by her sister, Kathleen Hall Hayes.
Rob McAllister, her husband, noted that his wife typically had her cell phone with her, which made her absence even more unusual.
This was the first time McAllister had gone missing, leaving her husband increasingly anxious and her young son confused about her whereabouts.
On Monday, her family reported her missing to Cobb County police, which issued a “high alert.” That same afternoon, McAllister’s SUV was discovered abandoned at The Battery, an area near Trust Park, about 16 miles from where she was last seen.
Authorities found her cell phone and wallet, among other personal items, inside the vehicle.
She was located a few hours later at a local hospital.
“We’ve found her. Thank you!! Your prayers, shares, and tips are working! Authorities found Lee alive and well in Atlanta overnight. No further details are available at this time. Please continue to pray for her and our family,” Hall-Hayes updated her followers.
As of now, police and family members haven’t disclosed the reasons for McAllister being in the hospital or the circumstances surrounding her abandoned vehicle.
The Cobb County Police Major Crimes Unit has launched an investigation into her disappearance.
