Simon Powell, 63, disappeared on the evening of June 1, 2016, while talking on his phone in his yard in Waynesboro, Georgia; the call abruptly went dead and no one has seen or heard from him since. The next morning his 2012 white Ford F-350 was found burned beyond recognition several miles from his home. A GBI examination of the truck found no human remains.

Powell ran a tree‑cutting business and required daily diabetes medication, which heightened concern after he vanished. The case went cold for years despite billboards, prayer vigils and a reward that rose to $30,000. In July 2022 two arrests followed: Stacey Lynn Welch and Mitchell Lanell Lambert were charged with murder, armed robbery and kidnapping. Welch later gave investigators a graphic account alleging Powell was forced off the road, taken to a hunting cabin, killed and his remains dumped in a pond; searches including draining ponds produced possible evidence that the crime lab could not definitively identify as human.

Welch’s statements were inconsistent and questions were raised about her mental state. The Assistant District Attorney concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute and both defendants were released on bond. Powell’s fate remains unresolved and the family continues to seek answers. Has anyone in the Waynesboro area seen or heard anything about Powell around June 2016 that could help?