IMPERIAL, MO – Authorities in Jefferson County, Missouri, announced on Tuesday that the remains of Emily Strite, a 33-year-old woman from Imperial who was declared missing over five months ago, had been found.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office initially issued a missing person bulletin for Strite, who had last been seen leaving Imperial on foot in early April. By the time she was officially declared missing on April 20, authorities had launched a public appeal to aid the investigation and provided Strite’s description along with images.
The remains were discovered on a property in De Soto over the weekend. Following this, the regional medical examiner’s office used medical and dental records to confirm the remains were Strite’s.
Vanessa McClain, Strite’s mother, reportedly last spoke to her on April 12 and became alarmed when Steve Fults, the father of Strite’s children, called asking about her whereabouts.
As of Tuesday, the cause of Strite’s death remained unknown. Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak confirmed the authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding Strite’s death and how her remains ended up at the location where they were found.