In the early morning of September 24, 2011, 35-year-old Shawndell Mcleod left her home in Lithonia, Georgia, for her 5:00 a.m. shift as a cook at a nursing home in Lawrenceville. She never arrived at work and was never heard from again. Concerned when she didn't show up for her shift, her mother reported her missing. Family members who went to check on her found her house dark and her car gone. In the days following her disappearance, her 2011 Nissan Versa was found abandoned behind a house. There was no activity on her cell phone or bank accounts after she went missing.
The investigation into Shawndell's disappearance soon revealed a history of turmoil in her personal life. She had recently ended an abusive relationship with a woman named Joyce Pelzer. Friends and family told investigators that Shawndell was afraid of Pelzer, who had reportedly threatened her with a knife just months before she vanished. Shawndell had become so fearful that a new boyfriend had been staying at her house for protection, and she had borrowed a gun from a friend. When questioned by police, Pelzer gave conflicting information about her whereabouts on the day Shawndell disappeared and falsely claimed she was at work. Despite suspicions, the case went cold for years due to a lack of evidence.
A break in the case finally came in 2018 when a new girlfriend of Pelzer's came forward with information. She told investigators that Pelzer had admitted to murdering Shawndell and that the murder had been planned for months with the help of Pelzer's then-wife, Rosalyn Lewis, and an alleged hitman. According to the girlfriend, they kidnapped Shawndell as she arrived at work and held her captive for days while they dug a hole for her body. Tragically, Shawndell's body has never been found, despite an extensive search in the area of Arabia Mountain where Pelzer claimed she was buried. In December 2023, Joyce Pelzer was found guilty of malice murder and felony murder in the death of Shawndell Mcleod and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This conviction came after Pelzer was already serving a life sentence for the 2018 stabbing death of her wife, Rosalyn Lewis. The case of Shawndell Mcleod is a heartbreaking story of a woman whose life was cut short by someone she once trusted. Though her killer is behind bars, the fact that her remains have not been recovered leaves her family with a sense of unresolved grief.
Last Seen: Sep 24, 2011
