A South Carolina mother who disappeared while traveling to Atlanta for a church conference was found alive days later at an area hospital, authorities said, after her family and police spent days searching and trying to explain why her vehicle was left behind with her belongings still inside.
Leigh McAlister, 37, of Lexington, South Carolina, was reported missing after relatives said they lost contact with her during a trip to metro Atlanta over Valentine’s Day weekend. The case drew attention because investigators later found her SUV at The Battery, a large entertainment district near Truist Park, with her phone, wallet and other items still in the vehicle. Police have not said why she disappeared, what happened while she was missing, or how she ended up at the hospital.
McAlister traveled from Lexington to the Atlanta area on Fri., Feb. 13, planning to attend a church conference, according to accounts from her family and police. Relatives said the trip was supposed to be brief, with McAlister expected home soon after the weekend began. Her husband, Rob McAlister, told reporters that he last heard from her on Friday night. In that call, he said, she suggested she might either return home the next day or stay in Atlanta longer. After that, he said, she stopped responding to calls and messages, setting off concern that grew into a formal missing-person report. Family members described the silence as unusual and said they had no clear explanation for why she would cut off communication while away from home.
Investigators said McAlister’s last known sighting came the next day. Surveillance video captured her at a Publix supermarket in Atlanta’s Buckhead area at about 3 p.m. Sat., Feb. 14, according to information released during the search. Police have not described what she was doing at the store, whether she was alone, or where she went afterward. They also have not said whether the video showed her leaving in her own vehicle or meeting anyone outside. For relatives, the supermarket video became a key marker in the timeline, the final confirmed image of her before she vanished. Detectives have not publicly detailed the steps they took next, but they said the investigation moved quickly once officers were notified she was missing.
On Mon., Feb. 16, the search took a turn when McAlister’s SUV was found in Cobb County at The Battery, a development of restaurants, offices and shops near the Atlanta Braves’ stadium. Police said the vehicle appeared abandoned. Reports during the search said her phone and wallet were inside, along with other personal items. The discovery raised immediate questions about how she could travel without a phone, money and identification, and it added urgency for her family, who had already begun reaching out to friends and local contacts for help. Authorities have not said whether the SUV showed signs of a struggle or whether it had been moved from another location before being found.
Police have also not said how long the SUV had been at The Battery or whether security cameras in the area captured anyone parking it or walking away. The Battery draws heavy traffic on event days, and it sits in a network of highways and surface streets that connect Atlanta neighborhoods and suburbs. Detectives have not released details about whether they traced the vehicle’s movement through license plate readers, toll data or surveillance footage. They also have not said whether the SUV’s location suggests McAlister was headed to a specific destination or whether it was chosen simply because it offered a place to leave a vehicle unnoticed for a time.
Later the same day the SUV was found, authorities said McAlister was located at a hospital in the Atlanta area. Police confirmed she was alive and in medical care, and her family said they were relieved to learn she had been found. Officials did not release the name of the hospital or details about her condition. Police have not said whether she checked herself in, was brought in by another person, or was located by officers as part of the search. They also have not said what led to her hospitalization, whether she suffered injuries, or whether she was able to explain where she had been since the last confirmed sighting.
The limited information has left key parts of the story unclear, including whether McAlister was a victim of a crime or experienced a medical or personal crisis that caused her to drop out of contact. Her family has said the disappearance was out of character and that her priority was her young child. Relatives said McAlister and her husband share a 4-year-old son, and they described the days she was missing as a painful stretch of uncertainty for the family. Her husband said he traveled to the Atlanta area during the search, trying to track her movements and work alongside investigators as they collected leads.
Police said the investigation remained active even after McAlister was found, and they did not characterize the case as resolved. Cobb County police said their Major Crimes unit was involved. Atlanta police also played a role in locating McAlister, according to accounts provided by the family. Investigators have not said whether they are treating the case as suspicious or whether they believe she left voluntarily. They also have not said whether any other agencies were involved, or whether they have interviewed witnesses who may have seen her between the Buckhead supermarket sighting and the discovery of the SUV at The Battery.
In cases like this, investigators often work backward from the last confirmed sighting, then forward from the place a vehicle is found, looking for gaps in time that can be filled with video, phone data and witness statements. In McAlister’s case, police have not said whether they were able to recover phone location information, whether her phone was powered on during the days she was missing, or whether they are analyzing messages and call logs for clues. Authorities have also not said whether they are reviewing rideshare records, hotel stays or financial activity that might explain how she moved around the city while separated from her SUV and her belongings.
The case has spread widely online, with friends and community members sharing missing-person flyers and updates as the search unfolded. Posts circulated with her name and photo, and family members appealed for help from anyone who might have seen her in Atlanta over the weekend. Those appeals continued even after she was found, as relatives said they were still trying to understand what happened and asked anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact authorities. Police have not said whether tips from the public played a role in locating her or narrowing the timeline of her movements.
For now, officials have offered only a few confirmed touch points: her trip from South Carolina, the Buckhead supermarket sighting, the SUV found at The Battery with belongings inside, and her discovery at an Atlanta hospital. The rest of the timeline remains uncertain, including where she stayed, whether she attended the church conference as planned, and who she interacted with during the period she was missing. Police have not said whether they plan to release additional details or whether the family expects a public explanation once McAlister is able to recover and speak fully with investigators.
McAlister remained in the hospital as the investigation continued, and police have not announced any arrests or filed charges. Authorities said they would provide more information if the inquiry determines a crime occurred or if they can confirm how she ended up separated from her vehicle and belongings.
Author note: Last updated February 20, 2026.