UPDATE: The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has released the following statement:
Shortly after 4:00 p.m. today, while performing a grid search, deputies located what are believed to be human remains as well as items of clothing.
Search and Rescue K9 trained in locating human remains alerted to the finding which confirmed that the remains were human.
The finding was southeast of President’s Circle in an area of thick vegetation, approximately a half mile from where Ms. Maranda Merrell Neal’s ATV was located last November.
Based on the location, condition, and other circumstances, investigators believe the remains to be those of Maranda Merrell Neal, who was reported missing on May 22, 2022.
The remains however, will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock, AR for analysis and positive identification.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed to Deltaplex News that skeletal remains have been located at the location the Quapaw Nation Office of Emergency Management in conjunction with the Jefferson County Sheriffs’ Office, the Morgan Nick Foundation, and other first responders began conducting searches Friday morning.
Deltaplex News is told remains were located around 4 p.m. when a K-9 discovered the remains.
Maranda Merrell Neal was reported missing to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on May 22, 2022, after last being seen on an ATV in the area of Dyson Road and/or President’s Circle. Extensive searches of hundreds of acres of the area at the time did not reveal any leads to her whereabouts.
In November 2022, a hunter who was out in a wooded area checking some property in relationship to deer season, discovered an ATV in a wooded area off of Robinson Road. The hunter reported the finding to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office which confirmed that the ATV matches the description of the one that Ms. Neal was last seen riding at the time of her disappearance.
An extensive search of the vicinity was performed for any evidence or indication of the circumstances related Ms. Neal’s disappearance.
The remains discovered Friday will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime lab for positive identification.
