Oddity found on family’s lawn proves to be remains of missing woman, Georgia cops say

Bones found littering a family’s lawn in northwest Georgia have proven to be parts of a human skeleton, according to investigators

And they aren’t old, according to the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.

The grisly discovery was made late Thursday, Dec. 26, in the Cooper Heights area, about a 110-mile drive northwest of Atlanta.

“The homeowner called 911 after an animal brought the remains into the yard,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

A search using cadaver dogs led to the rest of the skeleton “in a nearby wooded area.”

Investigators suspect the remains belong to/ a 23-year-old woman from Montgomery, Alabama, who vanished in the area over the summer. Montgomery is about a 225-mile drive southwest from Cooper Heights.

A cause of death has yet to be established, but foul play is not suspected, officials said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is scheduled to do an autopsy.

“The vehicle that (the woman) was driving was left abandoned on the right of Highway 193 in early June 2024,” the sheriff’s office said. “The vehicle was towed ... after being left abandoned for over a week.”