A 71-year-old San Diego woman who was last seen in La Mesa and had been missing for more than a month was found dead, according to the La Mesa Police Department.
She was seen walking by the Pink Rose Cafe in surveillance video. That same day, Lt. Katy Lynch with LMPD told NBC 7 that Crowder had also been spotted more than a mile away on Grossmont Boulevard, then she was reported again by a 911 caller who said she was walking up the on-ramp to state Route 125.
That was the last time Crowder was seen until her body was found by California Highway Patrol and Caltrans workers on Monday morning along the onramp from La Mesa Boulevard to eastbound Interstate 8.
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The police department searched for Crowder, as did volunteer organizations, community members, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue team and Crowder’s family, including her nephew Kenneth.
"She's confused," Kenneth Crowder told NBC 7 two weeks after her disappearance. "She's not from this area, so we are all very concerned."
Crowder said his aunt suffered from diabetes as well and hadn’t had access to her medication. He added that she had been living in a senior living apartment in Southeast San Diego along with a family member.
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Although Crowder was very familiar with public transportation, according to Lynch, investigators never spotted her on security video riding any MTS buses or trolleys.
“She’s the oldest of her siblings," her nephew Kenneth said. "She took care of all of them. She took care of all her nieces and nephews, like myself, and she just raised the whole family really."
The La Mesa police on Tuesday thanked all of those who helped in the search for Crowder.
The medical examiner has yet to determine how Crowder died.
