WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah -- Nine weeks of searching for Murray woman Kayelyn Louder ended along the Jordan River, where her body was found Monday.
"This is worst case scenario,” said Allen Robins, a private investigator for the Louder family.
Police in West Valley City found Louder in about three to four feet of water under a bridge.
Because the body was significantly decomposed, authorities could only identify her through dental records Tuesday afternoon.
“I know that the family was even in more fear of not knowing, of continuing on what they did for the past nine weeks of not having an answer,” Robins said.
But the discovery has only prompted more questions.
Louder, 30, had been missing since September.
Surveillance video taken on Sept. 27 caught her walking away from her condo, barefoot and without any personal belongings. But no one had seen or heard from her since then.
“We don't know what happened. No one else saw her,” Robins said. “No one has any other details as to what had happened from when she left that frame until yesterday.”
A creek that connects to the Jordan River runs behind Louder’s home. However, because of how shallow it is, Robins does not believe her body would have traveled as far away as it was found, which totaled approximately five miles.
The family is now awaiting the autopsy report from the State Medical Examiner to learn a cause of death.
Amy Fugal, one of Louder’s cousins, said the family was devastated by the news. She released this statement to FOX13:
We are broken hearted with the news of Kayelyn’s body being found, but are also grateful to know where she is.
This has been an extremely difficult 9+ weeks for all involved. We hope that through all of our efforts that she has been able see how much she is loved and cared for.
We do believe we will be with her again someday and find some comfort knowing she is with family that has passed on before her. We are forever grateful to the volunteers who have helped us in countless ways over the past 9 weeks.
We are amazed at your love and dedication to our family. Countless hours and donations were given in our behalf.
While finding her brings some closure we still have many unanswered questions and will not rest until we are able to fully understand what happened.
We appreciate your continued prayers and support during this difficult time.
