‘Fun-loving’ 80-year-old found dead in a backyard weeks after vanishing, Georgia cops say
An 80-year-old woman who was missing for weeks has been found dead, Georgia police told news outlets.
The body of Rosa Mae Dawson was found early Wednesday, Dec. 4, three weeks after she was seen leaving her home in Decatur, DeKalb County police said in an update on the department’s Facebook page.
Officers were called after someone reported finding a body while cleaning up their backyard, WANF reported, citing authorities. The remains were later identified as Dawson’s.
“Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers,” police said.
McClatchy News reached out to DeKalb County police for more information on Dec. 5 and was awaiting a response.
Dawson, who family members said was diagnosed with diabetes and dementia, hadn’t been seen since Nov. 13, according to WAGA.
Her son, Ricky Dawson, remembered his mom as “caring” and “fun-loving,” WXIA reported. Loved ones believe the 80-year-old may have wandered from home.
“My aunt, who comes over and spends the day with her, came over, and the door was open, and she wasn’t here,” Ricky Dawson told the station. “They couldn’t find her.”
Authorities said they don’t suspect foul play, according to WANF.
An autopsy will determine Dawson’s official cause of death.
Decatur is about a 10-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.