Son who went to visit mom for the holidays found her stabbed to death in her home

The grandmother is believed to have walked in on a carjacking and was stabbed to death.

A son who went to visit his 77-year-old mother for the holidays found her knifed to death inside her home in a gated community.

Eleanor Bowles was attacked in the garage of her home in an affluent suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday while apparently trying to stop a carjacking.

‘She was a grandmother preparing for the Christmas holiday when she was found stabbed to death in her garage with her car stolen,’ states a GoFundMe page for Eleanor. ‘She was a kind, precious, funny, loving mother, grandmother, and friend – and so much more. It is with heartbreaking sadness that we grieve her loss from this world entirely too soon.’

Eleanor’s son, Michael Bowles, 30, found his mother lifeless when he arrived in her Buckhead neighborhood.

‘I was on my way to visit her for the holidays and got to her a few hours too late,’ he said during her vigil. ‘Finding her like that is something that will be with me forever. What happened to her was her worst nightmare. It’s most people’s worst nightmare.’

A suspect, Antonio Brown, 23, was seen by a witness who called police and has been arrested, Mayor Andre Dickens said on Monday.

Brown has been charged with murder, hijacking a motor vehicle in the first degree, possession of a knife or firearm in the commission of a felony and abuse, aggravated battery and exploitation or neglect of a disabled or elderly person.

‘The motive appears to be a crime interrupted, a robbery. Ms Bowles was in possession of a 2021 Lexus and we believe the individual attempted to steal the vehicle,’ said Homicide Commander Lt Germain Dearlove. ‘Ms Bowles may have encountered him (while he was trying to take the car), and she was killed.’

Brown possibly had an accomplice and the matter is under investigation, according to police.

‘It is unbelievable that crimes like this continue to happen in Atlanta, and it must stop,’ the GoFundMe states.

‘Her family have made it their mission to prosecute those responsible and ensure that the people of Atlanta can feel safe in their homes.’

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta.

The GoFundMe page for Eleanor had raised more than $31,000 as of Tuesday afternoon, with proceeds going to the Atlanta Humane Society which she loved.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.