SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY -
(WRCB) - After missing for more than 48 hours, the body of 74-year-old Dixie
Brown was brought down the mountain Tuesday.
"She'd been there, by all
indications at least a day or two days," says Chattooga County Sheriff
John Everett.
Dixie was last seen by a neighbor around 4:00 Sunday morning. It was the last time she was seen alive.
"I know they're relieved to find her," Greg Hall says. "I just hate we couldn't find her alive."
Hall
and Aaron Carver are a part of Floyd County's mounted patrol. They
are the ones who found Dixie about a half mile up the mountain. But it
wasn't easy, she was wearing a camouflage jacket.
"The mule's
ears went straight up," Hall explains. "Naturally I knew she saw something and we looked
over to the left and a dog jumped and then that's when I spotted the
body laying there."
Dixie was last seen holding a
dog. Her dog "Baby" was returned to family.
"The little dog stayed
right there with her," Hall says.
However, for volunteers like
Brian Howell, Dixie's death is personal.
"My momma got the same thing
and she always said never put her in a complex or home. It's the same
little incident with this woman right here," says Howell. "I said I'd be
the one that found her, because I know these woods better than
anybody."
Despite Howell's efforts, and the efforts of every
agency involved, no one could find Dixie in time.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"
says Howell.
The body was taken to Atlanta for an autopsy and to determine an exact cause of death.
READ MORE:
Search for Chattooga Co. woman to resume Tuesday
Search continues for missing Summerville woman
