Atlanta police said Tuesday homicide detectives continue to investigate the beating death of a homeless mother of five, whose body was found Friday morning in a sleeping bag in a parking deck at Underground Atlanta and near Georgia State University.

Sgt. Gregory Lyons said police had no new information to release.

Detectives are hoping images captured by video cameras in the area will lead them to Damaris Rainwater Hawes’ killer; she suffered severe head trauma.

Hawes, who has sometimes been identified as Damaris Rainwater, has children ranging in ages from 1 to 20, two daughters and three sons.

Her family and friends have created a website to raise money for her children and a memorial service for Hawes, whom they described as a "victim of a senseless act."

“It would be sad to know she’d be left for someone to find in a sleeping bag,” Rainwater’s friend Annette Green said, told Channel 2 Action News. “To see her two daughters; the devastation and hurt as they cried for their mother.”

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Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, accompanied by Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith, provided an update to the press during a media tour at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. They discussed the new Simulation Center, which will enable officers to train for various crime scenarios, including domestic disputes, commercial robberies, and kidnappings. Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
(Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC