Authorities found and identified the skeletal remains of a Missouri mother in a secluded wooded region six months after her mysterious disappearance. The identity of Emily Strite was confirmed using medical and dental records after a homeowner on Frissell Road found the skeletal remains of the mother of four in a wooded area on September 28.
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said that Strite, 34, disappeared in the De Soto area on April 12, and her friends said that she had been in an unstable and abusive relationship with the father of her youngest children, according to Fox 2 Now. Police have launched an investigation to learn more about her disappearance.
Mysterious Death after Sudden Disappearance
Investigators said that they have not determined Strite's cause of death yet, leaving her family and friends desperate for answers. "We pray now that we get answers and whoever hurt her is brought to justice," Amanda Bauman, Strite's childhood friend, told Fox 2 Now.
Strite, who friends say had been in an on-and-off abusive relationship with her youngest child's father, was last seen walking away from a friend's home in the De Soto area where she had been staying on April 12, according to police.
Her mother reported her missing eight days later.
Charlyn McCalin, Strite's mother, last spoke to her daughter on the morning of April 12, according to NBC News. During the call, Strite said she planned to visit her three children in Illinois, where they live with their father.
A sense of panic arose a week later when the children's father reached out to McClain, telling her that he hadn't heard from Strite in over a week and was unaware of any plans for her to visit their children. "He has never called me and questioned anything about Emily or to tell me anything about Emily," McClain told NBC.
"That's why I panicked when he called me because he had never done that before."
Grim Discovery
McClain filed a missing person report the following day. Authorities were notified about the discovery of human remains by an unnamed property owner, according to a press release from the department.
Grant Bissell, Public Safety Information Coordinator for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said that there were no signs of foul play on Strite's body.
As of Wednesday, no arrests have been made in connection to her death or disappearance.
Strite's remains were sent to the Regional Medical Examiner's Office, where her identity was confirmed.
