Olivia Fowler disappearance: Aunt says the past year has 'been hell'
MERIWETHER COUNTY, Ga. - The family of a Meriwether County mother of three who disappeared a year ago say they have not given up hope she will be found.
Olivia Fowler, 27, was last seen walking along a rural road on Aug. 13, 2021. A DNR ranger who knew her says she was walking, wearing a T-shirt and sandals.
The family and friends marked a challenging and painful year since she was seen gathering over the weekend.
"It’s been hell," her aunt, Tamara McCoy says. "It’s just…not knowing where she’s at, not knowing if she’s still with us, not knowing if she’s in another county, going through things and you know, not knowing if she even knows where’s she’s at. And just the not knowing and waking up in the middle of the night to messages and rumors and waking up in a panic because you have a dream and you just…your imagination takes you places you’d never imagine you would go."
Her Aunt Tamara heads Olivia’s Army, the volunteers who have searched, prayed, and raised funds for private help. They have never given up hope, and with federal agents involved now in the search, her family says they have a new optimism that answers will be found.
FBI joins the hunt in search of Olivia Fowler, missing mother of three
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says that they have joined the hunt in the search of Olivia Fowler, the Meriwether County mother of three who was reported as missing since August of 2021. The family of Fowler shares the optimism they feel and exactly what this involvement means to them.
"We’re just trying to raise awareness and encourage people to please reach out to the FBI or Meriwether County Sheriff’s (Office), any law enforcement agency that’s nearby, you can call anonymous, you don’t have to leave your name. We just pray every day that she’s gonna walk through that door," her aunt said.
Investigators say they have followed up on dozens of leads, both in Meriwether County and outside of it, but so far nothing has surfaced in the investigation to show where or what may have happened to her.
Who is Olivia Fowler?
Olivia Fowler was 26 when she went missing.
She is the mother of three small children.
Her aunt Tamara McCoy, who organized "Olivia's Army" to search for her niece, told FOX 5 Atlanta in September 2021, "Olivia wouldn’t go 40 days without reaching out to her family."
The FBI said Folwer has ties to Meriwether, Harris, Talbot and Upson counties.
She is about 5-feet-2-inches tall with a weight of 103 pounds. She has blonde hair, green eyes, and a tattoo on her right arm that reads, "I Love you."
Olivia Fowler's disappearance
It was 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2021, a Department of Natural Resources ranger saw Fowler walking along Pebblebrook Road in Meriwether County. The location was outside of Manchester, two hours south of Atlanta.
Both law enforcement and her family say that was the last known sighting of her.
The Meriwether County Sheriff’s office said Fowler was last seen wearing a tie-dye shirt, white cut-off shorts and black flip-flops.
FBI joins investigation
In May 2022, 10 months after she was last seen, the FBI's Columbus Resident Agency said it had joined the search.
Fowler's loved ones had new optimism at the time of the FBI's announcement.
"Maybe it will all come out eventually," Roxanne Fowler, Olivia's sister, said. "Maybe we'll all get answers soon."
Meriwether County investigators said in May, that they were still "aggressively" working the case. The FBI declined to comment on their involvement in May.