A 46-year-old Falcon woman, who has reportedly been missing for two weeks, was discovered deceased, according to the Laclede County Sheriff’s Office.
The body of Heather E. Abbott was discovered at about 9:45 a.m. Saturday morning in a wooded area near the intersection of Route Z and Route AD between Falcon and Competition. She was found about a mile south of her home, the LCSO reported in a press release Saturday afternoon.
“We conducted a number of interviews, and followed several leads as to her whereabouts, after she was reported missing. After the body was located the scene was processed by investigators. We will continue with investigative follow up work, in conjunction with the autopsy, but the initial indication from interviews and the scene does not lead us to believe foul play is involved,” Sheriff David Millsap said in the release.
According to the LCSO, Abbott had been reported missing by family members on Aug. 14.
Earlier this week, deputies searched a large wooded area near Carl Lane and Route Z. On Friday, the LCSO searched an area in the 16000 block of Route Z. During the search, law enforcement located shoes that matched what Abbott had reportedly been wearing at the time of her disappearance, the LCSO reported.
The LCSO received assistance from the Osage Beach Search and Rescue to search the area with a cadaver dog, but the search was unsuccessful, the press release says.
According to the sheriff, the LCSO and about 20 people from area rural fire departments began searching for Abbott at about 7 a.m. Saturday. A search of about an 80-acre wooded area turned up nothing. They then decided to search the wooded area between Route Z and Route AD when they located Abbott’s body near a ravine.
“The help we received from the local rural fire departments this morning, coordinated by Lebanon Rural Fire Department Chief Phil Pitts was the key in locating the body,” the Sheriff said. Agencies that assisted in the search included Competition Fire, Sleeper Fire, Conway Fire, Nebo-Falcon Fire and Lebanon Rural Fire Department,” the sheriff said.
