It was a sad end to a desperate search for a Habersham County woman missing nearly four days. Mylessa Zimmerman was found dead Monday afternoon in a heavily wooded area near her home in Turnerville.
The Habersham County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene. At this time, the case is considered a death investigation. “There are no obvious indications of any type of foul play,” says Habersham County Sheriff’s Lt. Murray Kogod.
Officials did not give any indication as to how Zimmerman died.
According to Kogod, a family member notified the sheriff’s office Monday that he had discovered Zimmerman’s missing 2015 Chevrolet Malibu in a heavily-wooded area adjacent to the property on which her residence was located. “Habersham County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators saturated the area and, after a short period of time, located Ms. Zimmerman,” Kogod says. She was dead when they found her.
Zimmerman’s daughter Christy Brown spoke briefly with Now Habersham Monday, confirming her mother’s death.
“We found my momma today,” Brown later wrote in a social media post updating the search. “God was ready for her to be with Him in Heaven. I can’t express how much I appreciate all of the support and those who volunteered their time over the last few days. If you can spare a few more prayers, they would be appreciated over the next few minutes, hours, days and weeks to come.”
A desperate search
The 69-year-old grandmother of three was last seen alive at her home on Magic Mountain Lane in Turnerville in northeastern Habersham around 10 p.m. Thursday, February 11. When her family awoke the next day, they noticed her car was gone. They went to check on her around 6 a.m. and discovered she, too, was missing. The family filed a missing persons report the same day.
Kogod says Habersham County Sheriff’s deputies worked with the GBI and Zimmerman’s family to locate her. They issued a lookout through the Georgia Crime Information Center Database and contacted “multiple surrounding counties” to check frequently traveled routes Zimmerman followed.
“A Mattie’s Call was issued on Friday and distributed to media outlets,” Kogod says. “The Georgia Lottery was contacted, and the missing person information was posted on all of their machines, programs, and outlets.” In addition to those efforts, Kogod says deputies conducted concentrated patrols, covering a 5-mile radius, throughout the weekend.
“Every lead called into the sheriff’s office and/or G.B.I. was investigated to its fullest extent,” he says.
The vehicle did not have an active ONSTAR subscription, so it could not be traced through GPS. Before Zimmerman’s body was found, her family was working to organize an aerial search as soon as the weather cleared and it was safe to do so.
Brown says her mother was “forgetful at times” and had medical conditions that required daily medication. She left home without her medicine, identification, credit and debit cards. Her family and friends spent the weekend searching area roads and distributing flyers, seeking information that would help lead them to the woman they knew lovingly as “Bo.” Thousands of social media users shared posts about Zimmerman’s disappearance, asking people to be on the lookout for her.
Before news of Monday’s discovery broke, Brown expressed her gratitude to the GBI, Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, friends, and volunteers for their hard work assisting the family in their search. She described her mother as a “very resilient” woman who had some medical setbacks in the last year. Brown said, “We talk several times every day, and she would call me if there was any possible way for her to do so.”
This article has been updated
