13 WTHR IndianapolisMissing woman investigators find human remains

Missing woman investigators find human remains

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By Emily Longnecker - bio | email
Dorothy Heard Dorothy Heard
GRANT COUNTY -

Noblesville police say they don't know whether human remains found in Grant County are that of a woman who has been missing since June.

Lt. Bruce Barnes said officers had been searching along a county road north of Marion for four days.  The investigators had been following leads in the case of Dorothy Heard, a 74-year-old Noblesville woman who was reported missing June 13, 2011.  Acting on a tip, investigators had been looking at a wooded area when they discovered the remains Thursday.

"I want to reiterate that we do not have a positive identification," said Barnes.  "Our job at this time is to maintain the integrity of the scene and retrieve as much evidence and information as we can."

Barnes said investigators had spoken with Dorothy Heard's family since the discovery.  "We have simply told them that we have found human remains, and that we cannot elaborate beyond that because we don't have those answers.

Police say the remains were found near the Mississinewa River not far from the Grant-Wabash County line.

Barnes says officers have secured the area and additional officers will return to the scene early Friday morning to resume the search for evidence.