Guest vanished after wedding and fight with mom — then turned up dead, Oregon cops say
A 27-year-old Oregon woman was leaving a wedding with her mother on Saturday when the pair got into an argument, according to the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office.
That fight led Meighan Cordie to get out of the vehicle on Grand Island around 10:30 p.m. and walk off on foot, leaving both her shoes and her phone in the car, deputies said. When Cordie’s family still hadn’t heard from her on Sunday, they called police.
Following a days-long search, joggers discovered what is believed to be Cordie’s body at 10 a.m. Thursday on a highway onramp north of Dayton, deputies announced on Thursday. The body was lying just down an embankment. Police said the clothing on the body (a blue floral pantsuit) and a physical description matched Cordie.
“The pain our family is experiencing is unimaginable and we ask for privacy as we process this information and continue to grieve as a family,” the family said in a statement Thursday, KOIN reports.
The wedding was on Grand Island, about eight miles south of Dayton, where the body turned up, authorities said.
Police said the investigation is still in the early stages and that Cordie’s family is “asking for privacy during this difficult time.”
Despite help from hundreds of volunteers, drones, marine patrol and more, searches for Cordie on Grand Island had been unsuccessful. The search was suspended on Wednesday.
“This was an incredible show of support for Meighan,” Sheriff Tim Svenson said earlier this week in a statement. “The volunteer searchers, many whom are professional firefighters, were extremely organized and worked seamlessly with our Search and Rescue members.”
Authorities have not said what Cordie had been arguing over with her mother.
“Details that could compromise the investigation will not be released at this time,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday, adding that additional information will be released “when appropriate.”
Tracy Cordie, an aunt, described Cordie as “loving” and “caring” before the body was found, KGW reports.
“She has a small child at home, so that’s why we’re desperately also searching for her,” the aunt said when the search was still underway, according to KGW.
This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Guest vanished after wedding and fight with mom — then turned up dead, Oregon cops say."