x
Breaking News
More () »

'What helps me get through it is thinking it's not her': Andrea Knabel's family in contact with police after human remains found in Boyle County

Andrea's dad Mike Knabel says he is interested in a dental similarity and sent her dental records to the coroner for comparison.

PERRYVILLE, Ky. — An investigation is underway after human remains were found, possibly linking the remains to a missing Louisville mother: Andrea Knabel. 

Kentucky State Police (KSP) and Richmond Post were contacted Friday around 7 p.m. in connection to possible human remains found in Boyle County. 

KSP says the initial investigation indicates "human skeletal remains" were found in a field off of Craintown Road in Perryville. 

"I've just been doing my best to stay distracted until we get answers," Andrea Knabel's sister, Erin Knabel, said. "My mind just goes to the saddest places."

For the Knabel family, this past weekend has been one full of distractions. It all began Friday when the family was notified of the newly discovered human remains.

"This became a very, let's say bigger deal, by the fact that we weren't able to rule [the] remains out, like in so many others that we've had done almost instantly, with with some of the facts," Andrea's father, Mike Knabel, said.

Knable is no stranger to receiving this type of news. He said, since 2019, it's happened dozens of times, but only two other times can he recall a case being as unique as this.

"[The remains] were really unusual by the fact there was nothing to rule them out," Mike Knabel said. "The age of the remains, the remains being female and just certain dental work was similar. I don't want to go into the detail of it."

Credit: WHAS-TV
Andrea Knabel's sister Erin and father Mike.

Knable said he is particularly interested in the dental similarity and sent Andrea’s dental records to the coroner for comparison.

"When I was about 9 or 10, that's when Andrea began getting braces, or things like that," Erin Knabel said. "I never would have thought twenty-something years from then, I'd be using that information to identify her."

Andrea Knabel was last seen in the early morning hours of Aug. 13, 2019, leaving her sister's home in the Audubon Park area.

According to the Knabels, these remains were found on a farm and the woman seems to have been deceased for three-to-five years.

Police say the remains were removed by the Boyle County Coroner and will be transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort for identification.

The Knabels said on Monday that a forensic dentist will be brought in to help identify the remains. They said the results could be known in a matter of days.

If it so happens these remains aren't Andrea's -- well, that may just be alright with them.

"I would rather look for ten more years and end up finding her alive than finding out right now with her not being with us anymore," Erin Knabel said.

If anyone has information about this investigation, please contact KSP Post 7 at (859) 623- 2404.

Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.

Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Sign up for the WHAS11 newsletter: "WHAS Up Kentuckiana." Get the latest headlines and videos from around Kentuckiana delivered daily to your inbox.

GET Videos on Demand | Watch WHAS11 on Roku and Amazon Fire TV

Before You Leave, Check This Out