The 70-year-old’s daughter said Howell rarely walked beyond a nearby stop sign before she disappeared Friday and was found Monday.
ELLENWOOD, Ga. — The family of a 70-year-old woman found dead in an Ellenwood lake is awaiting answers about how she reached the water after relatives said Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and serious mobility problems sharply limited how far she normally walked.
Joanne Howell was found Monday morning in Misty Lake after disappearing from her home area Friday evening, according to DeKalb County police. Her daughter, Jacquelyn Daniel, said Howell had rheumatoid arthritis and two total hip replacements and generally walked only as far as a stop sign near the house before returning. Police have not said how Howell traveled from her neighborhood to the lake or what caused her death.
Howell was last seen around 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in the 3600 block of Satellite Terrace in Ellenwood. Her family initially believed she had stepped outside to smoke, Daniel said. Relatives began searching after Howell did not return, and police later issued a Mattie’s Call seeking the public’s help.
The alert identified Howell as a missing 70-year-old woman and provided her physical description and clothing information. Police said she stood about 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighed about 134 pounds and had been wearing a white shirt and a pink bonnet with black locs underneath. Authorities said during the search that they did not know which direction she went after she was last seen.
Family members searched the surrounding area through the weekend. Daniel’s description of her mother’s health added urgency to the search because Howell’s cognitive conditions could make it difficult for her to find her way home, while her physical conditions limited her usual movement.
The search ended Monday after emergency crews were called around 7 a.m. to the 3900 block of Misty Lake following a report of a drowning. Water rescue teams entered the lake after a body was seen in the water. The medical examiner arrived later in the morning, and police subsequently identified the person as Howell.
Misty Lake is near the neighborhood where Howell disappeared. Local reports placed the water roughly a half-mile to less than a mile from her home area, depending on the points used for measurement. Authorities have not released a detailed route showing how Howell may have reached the lake.
The unresolved distance is especially significant to the family because Daniel said Howell’s normal walking range was far shorter. Police have not announced whether investigators have surveillance video, witness accounts or other evidence showing Howell’s movements after she left home. No such evidence has been publicly confirmed.
Authorities also have not released an official cause of death. The circumstances that led to Howell entering or reaching the water therefore remain under investigation, and police have not publicly established whether her death was accidental or resulted from another cause.
For Howell’s family, the recovery ended the uncertainty over where she was but left unanswered questions about her final movements. DeKalb County police said the death investigation remains open as authorities work to determine the circumstances surrounding the discovery.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 11, 2026.