Lithonia, Georgia | July 4, 2017
Sixty-seven-year-old Eva Gwendolyn “Gwen” Allen was a mother who depended on others for her care and protection.
Standing 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds, Eva was living in a specialized group home on Snapfinger Road in Lithonia, Georgia.
She had previously been found wandering along a highway and had been placed in the facility for her own safety.
Eva lived with bipolar disorder and was reportedly experiencing a manic episode.
She required around-the-clock supervision, daily medication, and assistance from caregivers.
Yet somehow, she disappeared.
A Vulnerable Woman Walks Away
During the early morning hours of July 4, 2017, sometime between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., Eva walked away from the group home in the 3600 block of Snapfinger Road.
No one reported seeing her leave.
No one has ever explained how a woman requiring constant supervision was able to walk away unnoticed.
Inside the residence, Eva left behind the things she relied on every day.
Her purse.
Her eyeglasses.
Her daily medications.
Her disappearance immediately raised troubling questions about how someone so vulnerable could simply vanish from a facility responsible for her care.
A Cell Phone That Kept Ringing
Then came a heartbreaking twist.
For five days after Eva disappeared, her cell phone remained active.
Her daughter, Debra Allen, repeatedly called, hoping to hear her mother’s voice.
The calls were never answered.
When investigators examined the phone records, they discovered repeated outgoing calls made to “1-2-3.”
Authorities believe the unusual pattern may have reflected Eva’s confusion and cognitive distress, possibly representing an unsuccessful attempt to reach emergency services or contact someone for help.
For her family, every unanswered call became another heartbreaking reminder that she might still have been alive somewhere.
Then, on July 9, 2017, the phone went silent.
Whether the battery died or the phone was turned off has never been determined.
There has been no activity since.
Still Missing
Eva has never been seen or heard from again.
She was last believed to be wearing a maroon shirt, black pants, earrings, and possibly a red headscarf.
More than eight years later, her family continues searching for answers.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Eva Gwendolyn Allen is urged to contact the DeKalb County Police Department at 770-724-7715 or call 911.
Her family deserves to know what happened.
They deserve the chance to bring her home.
© The Vivid Faces of the Vanished
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