‘The most beautiful soul:’ Son remembers 77-year-old mother stabbed to death outside her home

ATLANTA — Family and friends are getting ready to lay 77-year-old Eleanor “Ellen” Bowles to rest after she was stabbed to death in the garage of her Buckhead home.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden is the only local reporter who spoke with Bowles’ son, Michael Bowles.

“My mom was just the most beautiful soul you can imagine,” he said.

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Michael Bowles says his mother was a loving grandmother and avid reader with a passion for gardening.

“She was the treasurer of her gardening club,” he said. “She dominated the Sunday crossword puzzle and just was super, super sharp.”

He explained to Seiden that he and his wife, Katie, were coming down to Atlanta from Washington D.C. for the holidays when he found his mother.

“The lights were off, the television was off and it was getting dark and there were packages on the front stoop, which is also unusual,” Michael Bowles explained. “So after knocking on the front door, I ran around the back to see if her car was there and I was hoping she was maybe running an errand and left her phone, and that’s when I found her.”

Among the grief, the family says there has been a little levity in knowing his mother would have cringed if she knew she was being referred to as elderly because of her adventurous life. Michael Bowles says she had just returned from a trip to Portugal.

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After her tragic death, friends and family came together to hold a vigil to celebrate Ellen’s life and make a plea for justice.

A few days later, police arrested 23-year-old Antonio Brown and charged him with her murder.

“It’s been a relief and we are very pleased with how quickly the police moved we’ve had a ton of help,” Michael Bowles said.

Seiden asked Michael Bowles if he had a message for his mother’s killer.

“You messed with the wrong person. You don’t mess with Ellen. You don’t mess with my mom, and you know justice is going to be served and he’s going to get what’s coming to him,” he replied.

Michael Bowles says he believes the City of Atlanta needs to come together, support the police and work together as a community to put an end to violence.

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23-year-old man arrested in murder of 77-year-old Buckhead woman Eleanor Bowles was found dead in the garage of her home in a gated Buckhead community on Saturday on Paces West Terrace.

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