A 71-year-old woman was the victim of a homicide in a Sandy Springs cul-de-sac neighborhood, according to police, who are searching for her vehicle.
Sandy Springs Police identified the victim as Kay Thomasson. They say the homicide was reported at 7 p.m. on June 27 on Old Woodbine Road, a long residential street near the Brookhaven border.
Police are searching for Thomasson’s vehicle, a black, 2012 Kia Sorrento with Georgia license plate PWU1162 and a trailer hitch.
Anyone with information regarding the incident can call CrimeStoppers of Metro Atlanta at 404-577-8477. Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction, said Sgt. Sam Worsham, the police spokesperson, at a press briefing.
“We’re very concerned about this incident,” Worsham said.
Thomasson was discovered dead inside her house by her family after a missing a scheduled appointment on June 27, Worsham said. Police later said she was killed in the early morning hours of that day.
Worsham did not have or release information about the cause of death or injuries. A report from the medical examiner is underway, he said.
“The investigation is still relatively new and we are putting a lot of manpower into it,” he said.
Worsham did not know if there were any signs of forced entry or if any items were taken from the house, other than Thomasson’s vehicle.
A resident of the neighborhood said that it appeared that Thomasson was found dead in her house at 1095 Old Woodbine, at the end of the cul-de-sac, by visiting family members, including several children, who he saw arrive with luggage. He said he heard the children crying, followed by a police car arriving. Someone related to the family later asked local homeowners to use their bathrooms, he said, and that person “said it was a murder. This was not, like, a heart attack.”
The resident said he recalled last seeing Thomasson alive on June 26. “So this is recent. This is very recent.”
He said Thomasson often worked in her lawn and was known for keeping to herself. “She did her thing. We do our thing,” he said.
The resident said crime is not common on Old Woodbine. He said he is not personally afraid due to his understanding that homicides are often committed by someone the victim knows or as a crime of opportunity. But, he added, “I’m pretty sure the neighborhood is shocked. We’re all shocked this has happened.”
–Evelyn Andrews contributed
Update: This story has been updated with comments from a resident of Old Woodbine Road and from Sandy Springs Police spokesperson Sgt. Sam Worsham.