Human remains found by hunter belong to missing Utah woman who disappeared in 2023
Remains found along a Utah mountain range have been identified as belonging to Courtney Lynne Townsend, a local woman reported missing nearly two years ago.
On May 8, a hunter discovered human remains on Cedar Mountain, and after alerting authorities about the finding, law enforcement responded to the area and retrieved them, the Kane County Sheriff's Office reported this week.
The mountain is about 160 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
According to a May 19 sheriff's office release, authorities transported the remains to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office, where they were positively identified as belonging to Townsend.
The findings come on the heels of officials discovering other remains on the mountain last spring belonging to Townsend. The newly found remains failed to yield additional clues regarding the woman's mysterious death, the sheriff's office wrote.
The area where Townsend's remains were found, officials reported, is about a mile from where other remains were discovered on May 27, 2024.
How did Courtney Townsend die?
The sheriff's office said it continued to investigate the case, but said so far, detectives have found no evidence of foul play.
Autopsies are not public record in Utah.
When reached by Paste BN on May 21, Danielle Reschke-Conlon, a spokesperson for the medical examiner's office, could not say whether Townsend's manner of death was pending or had been ruled any of the following: homicide, suicide, natural, accidental or undetermined.
When did Courtney Townsend disappear?
Townsend was first reported missing from her Washington home in late 2023 by the St. George Police Department. The city is in south central Washington County, about 300 miles southwest of where her remains were found earlier this month.
According to police, Townsend stole her mother's car on Nov. 16, 2023.
Several days later, officials said authorities found the stolen vehicle in Kane County near a creek “stuck on some rocks.”
At the time, Townsend was nowhere to be found, and officials reported winter weather in the area hampered search efforts for her.
About seven months later, on May 27, 2024, officials reported, authorities found human remains on the mountain identified as belonging to Townsend.
Local KUTV-TV reported the remains were "so minimal they could fit inside a shoebox."
Who is Courtney Townsend?
Townsend was 33 when she disappeared.
According to a flyer from St. George police, she suffered from mental health issues and addiction.
According to a fundraiser created by her sister, Dallas Jimenez, her family continues to seek answers in her disappearance and death.
"Please help us with solving her case," Jimenez wrote on the page, which as of May 21, had raised nearly $1,400 to help hire a private investigator. "Courtney’s death remains mysterious and suspicious despite the involvement of authorities, including the FBI. While they claim to have exhausted all resources, we still have no answers − and the family deserves justice."
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.