Leigh McAlister Disappears From Lexington Church Trip, Found Days Later in Atlanta Hospital After SUV Discovered Abandoned Near Truist Park as Cobb County Police Department Investigates

A South Carolina mother who vanished during a weekend church conference trip was found alive days later at an Atlanta-area hospital under unexplained circumstances, authorities and family members said.

Leigh McAlister, 37, left her home in Lexington on Friday evening to attend a conference in Atlanta, according to relatives. McAlister, who shares a 4-year-old son with her husband, Rob McAlister, last spoke with family the night she departed, saying she planned to return the next day but might extend her stay briefly.

She was last seen on surveillance video at a Publix grocery store around 3 p.m. Saturday. After that, she stopped responding to calls and messages, prompting concern from loved ones. Her sister, Kathleen Hall-Hayes, said the silence was out of character.

Family members reported her missing Monday, leading police to issue a BOLO alert. That same afternoon, McAlister’s SUV was located abandoned at the Battery, a development near Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. Inside the vehicle, officers found her phone, wallet and other personal belongings.

Hours later, authorities confirmed McAlister had been located alive at a hospital. Few details have been released about her condition or how she ended up there, and officials have not said why her vehicle was left behind.

The Major Crimes unit is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, while family members say they are grateful she was found safe and are asking for privacy as they await answers.