GADSDEN, Ala. — Authorities say a hunter in Alabama found a car driven by an elderly Florida woman missing since 2019 in a wooded area where human remains were also located.
Police in Etowah County say the blue 2019 Kia Optima, discovered in woods off a road in the Black Creek community, belonged to 84-year-old Lorene Virginia Collier of Tampa.
But Capt. Josh Morgan of the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office tells WIAT-TV the remains haven't been positively identified.
Collier's granddaughter told the outlet the 84-year-old was last seen on Mar. 5, 2019, after she drove from Tampa to Glencoe, Alabama to visit her brother for his birthday. The next stop on her trip was Gadsden, but the granddaughter says she never arrived.
“She went missing somewhere between here and there and we’re not sure if she’s lost or someone got her or what,” the granddaughter told WIAT-TV back in 2019.
At the time of her disappearance, The Gadsden Times reports Collier didn't have her cellphone on her so her family didn't immediately realize she was missing.
WIAT-TV adds that law enforcement does not suspect foul play but is still investigating the case.
Local media reports a press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the Etowah County Sheriff's Office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.