Annie Lee Hampton, also known by the community as "Miss Annie," had been battling dementia, and was last seen in October 2019.
Could this be the body of Annie Lee Hampton? A group of volunteers believe they have found the remains of a 66-year-old Arkansas woman with dementia who disappeared in 2019.
Human remains were discovered inside a car that had plunged into Bear Creek Lake in Marianna, the non-profit group Adventurers With Purpose said in a statement. The lake is about 30 feet deep, and the car was found about 85 feet from the boat ramp.
The vehicle’s license plate and make matched Hampton’s missing car.
“At this point in time, we can also say Annie and her vehicle have been brought home,” a volunteer with Adventurers With Purpose said. The group and authorities are waiting on autopsy results to confirm the findings.
The tight-knit community of 3,500 had been searching for the woman they lovingly nicknamed “Miss Annie” since she was last seen two-and-a-half years ago, the group explained.
“Everybody in town knows her,” they said. “Some of the family members were also on scene as well.”
The volunteers with Adventurers With Purpose travel the country to solve cold cases and explained they usually start by searching in the closest body of water to a missing person’s home when they have no other leads.
They were able to team up with local fishermen, who had sonar technology on their boats, to search the lake in below-freezing temperatures.
“We’re very very thankful that Ms. Hampton’s family got the answers they need,” another volunteer said.
