A South Carolina mother vanished under puzzling circumstances during a church conference trip over Valentine’s Day weekend, only to later turn up at a hospital in Georgia without any of her personal items.
Leigh McAlister, aged 37, departed from her home in Lexington, SC, on Friday evening, setting off for Atlanta to attend the conference, according to her family’s posts on Facebook.
McAlister, who is a mother to a 4-year-old son with her husband Rob, last communicated with her family the night she left. During the conversation, she mentioned her plans to return the following day, though she hinted she might extend her stay in Georgia by an extra day.
The last confirmed sighting of McAlister was captured on security footage at a Publix supermarket around 3 p.m. on Saturday. After that, all communication ceased, leaving her family increasingly anxious. Her sister, Kathleen Hall-Hayes, noted the silence in a public post.
“This is out of character for her,” Rob McAlister told 11 Alive, expressing his concern over her sudden inaccessibility.
Rob, growing increasingly alarmed, had never known his wife to disappear without a trace before. Their young son was also beginning to express concern over his mother’s whereabouts, adding to the family’s distress, the outlet reported.
Family members reported McAlister missing to the Cobb County Police Department on Monday and a “Be On the Look Out” alert was made.
On Monday afternoon, McAlister’s SUV as found abandoned at The Battery, a mixed-use development surrounding Truist Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves, 10 miles northwest of the Publix where she was last seen.
Inside the car, officials found McAlister’s phone and wallet among other personal items.
The missing mother was discovered hours later at a local hospital.
“FOUND. THANK YOU!! Your prayers, shares and tips worked! Authorities located Leigh alive in Atlanta overnight. We have no further details at this time. Continued prayers for her and our family are appreciated,” Hall-Hayes said in an update.
Police and family did not reveal why McAlister was at a hospital or why her car was abandoned outside the city she was staying at.
The Cobb County Police Major Crimes unit had opened an investigation into McAlister’s disappearance, according to 11 Alive.
