The search for Emily Strite, a mother reported missing in April, has come to a somber end as authorities have confirmed the discovery of her remains in Jefferson County. According to FOX 2 Now, Strite's skeletal remains were located by a property owner in a wooded area near the 4100 block of Frissell Road on Sept. 28, and were positively identified through medical and dental records by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
Strite, whose cause of death remains undetermined, was last seen on April 12 and was believed to have been leaving the area on her own free will, according to a release by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office is continuing its investigation into how her body ended up in the location it was found, as stated by KSDK. Meanwhile, the community remains in shock over the tragic outcome of her disappearance.
The heartbreak of Strite's family was shared in interviews; as her mother, Charlyn McClain, remarked to The News & Observer, "Emily was, like, the most happy person, the most caring person." Strite, who was a resilient fighter according to her sister, leaves behind three children, and this revelation of her death has devastated those who knew her. The area where her remains were found was in close proximity to where she had been living, and her disappearance was flagged by McClain and a close friend who "immediately knew" that "something was seriously wrong," when they lost contact with her.
Anyone with potential information regarding the circumstances of Strite's death is being requested by the sheriff's office to come forward, a plea echoed by the family in their time of loss. As the investigation proceeds forward, details around Strite's fate are yet to be pieced together, but what remains clear is the gap left by her passing in a tight-knit community. Those with information can contact the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at 636-797-5515, as the authorities, and Strite’s loved ones seek answers, and perhaps, some measure of closure.
