The Atlanta Police Department says it has arrested the suspect in the killing of a Buckhead woman over the weekend.
Antonio Brown, 23, was arrested Monday, Dec. 12, as a suspect in the killing of Eleanor Bowles and is in custody being questioned by police, announced Mayor Andre Dickens during an evening press conference. The press conference was held at the Buckhead Village precinct.
The arrest came less than 24 hours after APD put out a request to the public for help to identify a person of interest captured in surveillance footage near the Bowles’ home, Dickens said.
“The killing of Mrs. Bowles is understandably rocking our community and my heart aches for these family members,” Dickens said.
Bowles, 77, lived in a gated community at 6 Paces West Terrace. How Brown allegedly was able to get by security is not known at this time, according to Deputy Chief Charles Hampton.
“We do know he entered into the complex on foot, but how he bypassed the security gate is still under investigation,” Hampton said.
“We think [Brown] played a significant role,” he said. “I’m not ruling out if there’s anyone else out but right now we we have who we were looking for right now. I’m happy that we’ve made this arrest.”
Dickens said at the press conference that a resident contacted APD after seeing the suspect shown in surveillance footage put out to the public on Sunday.
According to the police report, officers responded to a report of an unresponsive female at 6 Paces West Terrace in Buckhead on Saturday around 5:50 p.m. Upon arrival, officers located a Elenor Bowles, a 77-year-old female victim inside the residence who was not alert, conscious, or breathing and had sustained multiple stab wounds.
Elenor Bowles was pronounced dead on the scene. Police said there had been a “violent encounter” at the home and Bowles’ vehicle, a 2021 Lexus SUV, was stolen but was later recovered in DeKalb County.
The Atlanta Police Homicide Unit released surveillance images of the person of interest, shown above.
According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bowles was found by her son in the garage of her gated community home.
Michael Bowles arrived at the home early Saturday evening to visit his mother for the holidays. The homicide is believed to have happened earlier in the day – between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – and investigators believe she may have interrupted the suspect.
“Finding her like that is something that will be with me forever,” Michael Bowles said in a statement to the AJC. “What happened to her was her worst nightmare. It’s most people’s worst nightmare.”