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Missing San Antonio Mother Found Dead In Her Car, Parked In Strip Mall Lot
Christina Powell was last seen leaving her home on July 5 after calling in late to work. More than two weeks later, a security guard noted a "foul odor" coming from a car that had been sitting there for at least a week.
A missing mother last seen leaving her Texas home when running late for work has been found dead, according to police.
Christina Powell, 39, who was last seen on the Ring doorbell of her San Antonio home on the morning of July 5, drew concern when she failed to show up at the law firm where she worked as a paralegal. Now, police say the missing mother of two has been found dead, according to a statement sent to Oxygen.com.
Officers with the San Antonio Police Department responded to a call of an “injured sick person” in a strip mall parking lot off the I-10 on the north side of the city at around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday. When authorities arrived, they were approached by a security guard who said he came upon a “suspicious” black 2020 Nissan Rogue, which “had been parked in the same location for about a week.”
According to Fox News, the mall complex parking lot about four miles from Powell’s Red Hill Place residence.
“He approached the vehicle on foot and reported a foul odor coming from the vehicle,” police stated. “He looked inside the vehicle and observed a body in the front passenger seat and called 911.”
The car matches the description of the vehicle Powell was believed to have been driving on the morning of her disappearance, according to a Facebook post published by her mother, Claudia Mobley.
A cause of death has yet to be determined, pending a postmortem examination by the Bexar County Medical Examiner, though police classified Powell’s passing as an “apparent sudden death.” Police noted in their statement there were no signs of apparent trauma.
Police said they were able to identify the woman as Powell after finding her purse in the vehicle containing identifying information.
On Monday, Mobley confirmed her daughter’s death on social media.
“My beautiful daughter, Christina Powell, has been found deceased,” Mobley wrote. “Thank you all for your prayers."
On the morning of July 5, Powell called her place of employment to tell them she was running late. Shortly after 10:30 a.m., her home’s Ring doorbell captured Powell leaving her house wearing dark pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
Hours later, one of Powell’s coworkers visited her residence when Powell failed to actually show up at the law firm. Powell’s 12-year-old son answered the door, believing his mother was at work.
Powell’s mother said on July 23 — just hours before Powell’s body was discovered — that her daughter had left her cell phone at home the day she disappeared, and there had been no activity on her daughter’s bank cards following her disappearance.
The phone was found on Powell’s bathroom counter, per Fox News. Her medication was also left behind.
“We have retraced her route to work several times, and there are no bodies of water or signs of a crash along the way,” Mobley wrote. “We’re not even sure she headed to work. She could be anywhere.”
Powell’s longtime friend, Lauren Leal, agreed with Powell’s mother that nothing about the morning of July 5 seemed out of the ordinary. Leal told Fox News she couldn’t recall seeing anything that would make her concerned for Powell’s safety.
“I don’t believe she would ever want her children to go through what they’re going through right now,” Leal told the outlet. Leal added Powell “took pride in being a mom” to her 12-year-old son and 3-year-old child.
San Antonio police said the investigation is ongoing.
