Authorities Exploring Possibility Body Could Be One Of Three Missing Women
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Authorities Exploring Possibility Body Could Be...
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Photo by WJHL
A woman’s body is removed from an abandoned house in Washington County, Va., Sunday.
The body found in an abandoned Abingdon house Sunday might not match exactly the reports of local missing persons, but it comes close.
Washington County authorities are exploring the possibility that the body belongs to one of three missing women: two who disappeared in 2007, and one who was last seen more than two years ago.
“All those are being explored,” Washington County Sheriff’s Capt. Jack Davidson said Tuesday.
The woman whose body was found was white, heavyset, between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 4 inches tall, and had blond hair. She was wearing blue jeans, a short-sleeved pullover shirt and white tennis shoes, authorities said.
The description coincides with that of a young woman from Abingdon who was last seen April 4, 2006. Meranda Faith Hayden, who was 26 when she was reported missing, was 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 200 pounds, and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeve pullover shirt and white tennis shoes, according to a missing persons database managed by the Virginia State Police.
Hayden had a scar on one eyelid and a tattoo of an angel on one of her ankles. But Davidson said it was not immediately possible to determine whether the body found Sunday had a tattoo. Authorities said the body had been decomposing for between four and six months.
Hayden left behind children, and Davidson said in a January interview that “we feel like there may be some criminal involvement in her disappearance.”
Though Davidson said he believes “there’s something up” with the body found Sunday in Abingdon, the time difference between Hayden’s disappearance and the body’s discovery raises doubt that the body is hers.
A woman who answered the phone at Hayden’s family’s house hung up after a reporter identified himself.
Davidson would not immediately name the two individuals reported missing in 2007, and said they “probably won’t be given.” Asked why he would not release the names, he cited a heavy caseload and different priorities.
“Our main priority is to identify this person, and notifying next of kin,” he said.
The missing persons are considered victims, he said, and he would have to check with their families before releasing their names.
Of the two missing women from 2007, Davidson said this: “The physical description of those individuals doesn’t match what we have.”
They could, however, “have colored their hair,” he said.
The body was sent to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke for an autopsy. Davidson said a deputy traveled to Roanoke on Tuesday to get early autopsy results, but no additional information was released Tuesday night.
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Reader Reactions
Tell me you didn’t really call that home. Are you surprised that you received a hang-up? Were you going to ask the famous Today Show question, how did it make you feel when you found out….? What question were you planning to ask that family? I was surprised that a recent rape trial in Bristol received no mention at all in your newspaper, yet your longing to “get the story” led you to call the home of a hurting, grieving family. Could we take a vote and ask the public what news they really want to hear? For your sake, I pray nothing sensational ever happens in your family, and your newspaper decides that your personal problems should be on the front page. If it does, I personally do not want to read about how it makes you feel.
It is indeed a very sad story and yes there have been several bodies found in the Washington County, VA area.
As far as having a serial killer in the area, my opinion, the serial killer(s) is unfortunately drugs. Most cases are probably accidental overdoses in which friends of the victim get scared and decide to dump him/her off or leave them laying. Sad but true! Other cases are probably drug related in one way or another! I would like to see the response from the reporter to your comment captainkona!
Very sad. Tragic. There’s too much suspicious death in this tiny area.
Seems as though we find dead bodies on a regular basis in these parts. Particularly in Washington Co. VA.
So, Mr. Gilbert. You’re a journalist, should have resources.
Do we have a serial killer in the area?
Tell you what, young man…use your resources and find out for us 1)how many missing persons there are in our area and their details, 2)how many bodies have been discovered in the last few years and where, and 3)what, if anything, the authorities aren’t telling us.
We’ll be patiently awaiting your report.
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