SCOTT COUNTY, Indiana — There are still many unanswered questions in the disappearance of southern Indiana mother Amanda Martin. The Scott County Sheriff's Office believes officers may have found her body in the same area she was last seen three months ago.
Sheriff Jerry Goodin said it may be a break in the missing persons case, but authorities are still waiting on an autopsy to confirm the body's identity.
"At this point in time we have a lot of questions. A lot more questions than we do answers obviously," Goodin said.
The sheriff said they are almost certain the human remains they found in the woods, about eight miles east of Scottsburg just off Frog Pond Road, are Martin, who disappeared on Sept. 13.
"I'm not assuming anything right now," Goodin said. "That's the reason why I say we're waiting for positive identification. We're still working a missing persons case. We're still looking for Amanda Martin. Until we get positive identification we really can't switch gears."
Martin's family previously told WHAS11 that her belongings were still at home where they also found her air conditioning unit kicked out.
Goodin didn't want to speculate on whether foul play could be involved in Martin's case.
"We got so many unanswered questions, so many possibilities, it would be premature for me to mention anything about any kind of foul play or anything like that," he explained.
In a statement to WHAS11 on Thursday, the Martin family said they appreciate the concern, well wishes and prayers they've received since Amanda's disappearance, especially in the last 24 hours.
"We also want to thank the sheriff’s office, detectives, FBI, sheriff’s posse, and everyone else who has been diligently working on the case," the family said. "While the circumstances are not what we had hoped, we are grateful to be closer to closure and to knowing exactly what happened. As always, if you have details on the case please contact the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.”
Goodin said if the remains are not Martin then they will continue to search for her and will investigate how this body got to that location.
As the sheriff's office waits for the identification, they continue to urge anyone with information on Martin's disappearance to call their tip line 812-752-7898.
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