Last Updated on December 13, 2022
A 77-year-old woman was stabbed to death in her own garage after she interrupted a car thief attempting to make off with her vehicle.
Eleanor Bowles — who lived in a gated community in an Atlanta suburb — was found dead by her son a little after 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The discovery was made hours after 23-year-old Antonio Brown allegedly broke into her Buckhead home and stabbed her in a carjacking gone wrong, police said.
Police are still trying to figure out how Brown gained access to the gated community.
Investigators believe Brown broke into the elderly woman’s garage shortly after 11:30 am in an attempt to steal her 2021 Lexus RS350, the New York Post reported. Bowles appears to have interrupted the theft, at which point the suspect stabbed her multiple times before driving off in her vehicle.
The car was soon tracked and recovered by police Saturday night in DeKalb County.
Bowles’ son was coming home to visit his mother for the holidays when he made the gruesome discovery in the garage. The 77-year-old was soon pronounced dead at the scene and a homicide investigation was opened.
“The son came home to visit his mom for the holidays…,” Atlanta Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said during a press conference. “This is not a way that a family should have to spend their holiday season, mourning and grieving a death of a loved one.”
NEW: Atlanta police have arrested the suspect who allegedly stabbed 77-year-old grandmother Eleanor Bowles to death in her home's garage and then stole her car. https://t.co/jBzI44lK1y
— ABC News (@ABC) December 13, 2022
Brown was taken into custody on Monday and charged with murder, aggravated battery, possession of a knife, elder abuse and hijacking a motor vehicle. He was booked unto the Fulton County Jail upon his arrest, where he remains as of this report.
“The killing of Ms. Bowles is understandably rocking our community. My heart aches for these family members,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said during a press conference. He also announced the arrest of a third suspect in the murders of a 12-year-old and 15-year-old last month.
“I share our community’s outrage and heartbreak,” Dickens said of the recent tragedies. “Let me be very clear to those who want to do harm in our community, who want to perpetrate this crimes — if you pull a gun or pull out a knife in our city to hurt, harm or kill someone, you will be arrested and sent to jail.”
