Human remains were found Wednesday in the search for Jerry McConnell, an 81-year-old woman from Overland Park, Kansas, who went missing in Cowley County last month.
The search had focused on the area of 333rd Road, where property belonging to McConnell was found, 50 miles to the southeast of Wichita. Human remains were found about a mile from where her abandoned vehicle was previously found.
An autopsy is pending to confirm the identity of the remains.
This discovery follows weeks of intensive search operations. On May 20, her vehicle was found on private property in a rural area near the 4000 block of 327th Road.
After the discovery of McConnell’s car, a multi-agency search effort began, covering 15,000 acres.
McConnell had last been seen on May 14 in Harrisonville, Mo., and was reported missing on May 17, three days before her abandoned car was found in Cowley County.
Last week, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office said no further searches were planned for McConnell; Sheriff David Falletti previously said the search for McConnell was likely a recovery effort because of the lack of food and water in the area.
Despite daily search efforts since the vehicle was located, no further leads were developed until the most recent discovery on June 11.