In the early evening of June 1, 2016, 63-year-old Simon Powell was enjoying a quiet moment in his yard in Waynesboro, Georgia, talking on his phone. The conversation came to an abrupt end when the line suddenly went dead. That was the last time anyone heard from or saw the local logger. The following morning, his 2012 white Ford F-350 pickup truck was discovered several miles from his home on a dirt road, completely destroyed by fire. A thorough examination of the burned vehicle by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed the absence of any human remains, deepening the mystery of his sudden disappearance. Concern grew quickly among his family and the community, as it was unlike Powell, a respected man with a tree-cutting business, to leave without a word. He also had diabetes, which required daily medication, adding another layer of urgency to the search.
For six years, the case remained cold, a lingering source of pain and uncertainty for his loved ones. In an effort to generate new leads, his family put up billboards featuring his picture. The community held prayer vigils, and the reward for information grew to $30,000. Then, in July 2022, a significant break in the case occurred with the arrest of Stacey Lynn Welch. Welch was charged with murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping in connection with Powell's disappearance. Shortly after, a second individual, Mitchell Lanell Lambert, was also arrested and faced the same charges. Two other people, Crystal Simmons and Randall Johnson, were questioned by authorities, but were never charged.
The arrests brought a renewed sense of hope for answers, but the investigation took a series of complex and often contradictory turns. Welch provided investigators with a gruesome account, claiming that Lambert and two other men had forced Powell off the road, taken him to a hunting cabin, and murdered him. She alleged his remains were then discarded in a nearby pond. This led investigators to conduct extensive searches of multiple ponds, including draining one, in the hopes of finding Powell's remains. While some potential evidence was recovered, it could not be definitively identified as human remains by the crime lab. Further complicating matters, Welch's story was inconsistent, and at times, her mental state during questioning was called into question. Ultimately, the Assistant District Attorney stated there was not enough evidence to prosecute the case, and both Welch and Lambert were released on bond. The case of Simon Powell, a well-known and respected member of his community, officially remains an unsolved mystery, leaving his family still searching for closure six years after he vanished.
Last Seen: Jun 01, 2016
