Body of mother found in shallow grave two weeks after she failed to pick up 8-year-old son from bus stop
“The more days that went on, it didn’t seem like there was good news,” said a neighbour of Jennifer Brown’s
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The body of a missing Pennsylvania mother has been found in a shallow grave more than two weeks after her disappearance.
The remains of Jennifer Brown, 43, from Limerick Township, were wrapped in plastic when she was found on Wednesday, according to CBS Philadelphia.
Ms Brown was reported missing when she didn’t pick up her eight-year-old son from his bus stop.
The Montgomery County District Attorney, Kevin Steele, said the mother’s remains were located only partly buried on Wednesday afternoon in Royersford, about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Her body was located less than two miles from her Limerick home.
“We have been engaging in an intensive investigation and I can’t tell you how many people have worked through this and helped in this case to try to locate her,” Mr Steele said, according to CBS. “And we hoped and prayed that she would be safe and she is not.”
The body of Ms Brown will be taken to the office of the coroner for an autopsy. Prosecutors haven’t said if a suspect has been identified.
Ms Brown was last seen in Limerick on 3 January. The following day, she didn’t appear to pick up her son from the bus.
In addition to her eight-year-old son, Ms Brown leaves behind a 20-year-old son.
Members of her family have said that Ms Brown wouldn’t leave her sons without telling anyone. Relatives offered a reward of $15,000 for information about her disappearance and the community came together to distribute flyers.
Neighbours told CBS that the authorities removed a dumpster close to Ms Brown’s residence. Investigators also searched a Berks County landfill last week.
Neighbours and friends shared their outrage at the death of the single mother of two and demanded justice.
“She’s my age. And her son’s my son’s age,” Sarah Foltz told WFMZ. She added that their sons played together all summer.
“He asks me every day, did they find (his friend’s) mommy yet? And I don’t want to tell him now, you know. We’re right there,” she said, before adding that all she “can think about is her kids.”
Nancy Decker lives in the home right next to Ms Brown’s.
“Knowing her, and knowing what kind of a mother she was, I didn’t think she was alive,” she told the outlet. “No way. No way would she have left that child. And I know that.”
Ms Decker said she was upset at the news, but also said that closure allows her to not “have to worry about, ‘where is she? Is she hurt? Is somebody hurting her? Is she being tortured?’”
While many neighbours have been shaken up at the news, Ms Decker said she still feels safe in the area.
“I’ve been here for over 20 years. We’ve never had a problem,” she said.
“I certainly hope they figure out who did this and bring them to justice quickly,” Mr Evak added. “For the family’s sake and our community’s sake.”