A Paulding County woman who was reported missing Wednesday morning was discovered dead hours later in a car submerged in Sweetwater Creek, authorities said.
Amanda Lindley, 36, left for work about 3:30 a.m. but never made it to her job at a Douglas County convenience store, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Ashley Henson said. A missing persons report was filed and officials circulated her photo online.
Around 4:20 p.m., dispatchers received a 911 call about a possible crash on Friendship Church Road near Douglasville. The caller, one of Lindley’s family members, said they were searching for the woman when they found debris from her silver Mercedes floating in the nearby creek.
Authorities arrived at the scene and found evidence suggesting the car ran off the road and into the “rain-swollen creek,” Henson said. The western Atlanta suburbs were inundated with nearly 4 inches of rain earlier in the week when multiple waves of severe thunderstorms moved through the region, producing a tornado Monday morning in Douglasville.
Rescue teams from surrounding counties were called in to assist in the search and eventually discovered Lindley dead inside her car, which was submerged in about 20 feet of murky water. Investigators said it appears the wreck was an accident and do not suspect foul play.
The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash and the GBI will conduct an autopsy, authorities said.
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