Body Found in Trunk of Used Car Lot Belongs to Missing Woman, Police Say Foul Play Isn’t Suspected

Samantha Elisabeth McCowan was involved in a motor vehicle crash on Victory Road near Highway 184 in Mississippi on June 7

Mississippi authorities confirmed that human remains recently found in the trunk of a used car earlier this week are that of a woman who disappeared on June 7.

In a news release shared with PEOPLE, the Jones County Sheriff’s Department (JCSD) said that a body discovered on June 10 at a business on Highway 184 has been identified as Samantha Elisabeth McCowan, 32, of Laurel, Miss.

"Following an autopsy completed by the Mississippi Forensic Laboratory, no indications of foul play were noted," the release noted.

The JCSD also shared that its investigators "obtained security camera video from the area during their investigation which also indicated no foul play."

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According to the department’s Facebook post, McCowan was last seen around Highway 184 and Highway 84 East.

She was involved in a motor vehicle crash on Victory Road near Highway 184 in the early morning hours of June 7 and was observed leaving on foot, authorities said.

“McCowan may have sustained injuries in the crash. JCSD deputies and investigators have been and currently are searching the area surrounding the crash site seeking to locate her,” the sheriff’s department wrote at the time.

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Authorities described McCowan as a white female measuring 5’ 6” in height, weighing about 160 lbs. and having light brown colored hair. They added she has “a tattoo on her right leg from her hip to her knee, a tattoo of a dragon on her left hip, and a tattoo on the back of her neck.”

In a subsequent Facebook update, the JCSD has been asking residents and businesses located along Highway 84 East and surrounding roadways in eastern Jones County to check their security cameras from the time of the vehicle crash if they captured McCowan’s whereabouts. It added that McCowan was reported to be wearing "a lime green shirt, black and white zebra print shorts and colorful Crocs footwear."

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In a later posting, the JCSD said that authorities spent June 9 canvassing the highway and nearby roadways during f the search.

Before McCowan was positively identified, the JCSD said in a June 10 press release that a body was found in the 1600 block of Highway 184 on that same day, adding that the area has been deemed a crime scene pending the result of the investigation. The department also said it has asked the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation Crime Scene Unit to assist.

A published obituary said McCowan was born in Hattiesburg and worked as a bookkeeper. She is survived by her parents and her three sisters, her “forever partner” and her five children. 

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“A future Celebration of Life ceremony will be announced at a later date,” the obituary noted. “Her cremains will be endowed to the sea by Samatha's wishes. She will be forever loved, missed and her memories will always be in the hearts of her family and friends.”

Authorities further noted to PEOPLE that "additional information will be released as soon as possible."

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