SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A person who was remodeling their house in Springfield, Illinois, made a discovery in their crawlspace that led investigators to human remains.

>> Read more trending news

The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday around 1 p.m., the Springfield Police Department received a call from a resident who was remodeling a house. They said that they found a crawlspace in the house that had a purse inside it with some personal documents with the name Michelle Bianco on it. The police department contacted the sheriff’s office because they were aware that they had a missing person case involving Bianco.

The following day, additional investigations were called to the house just before 11 a.m. Just after 12 p.m., skeletal remains were located, the sheriff’s office said. Minutes later, authorities requested help from an anthropologist from the Illinois State Museum to help identify the remains.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon confirmed on Tuesday that the remains belonged to Bianco, according to The (Springfield) State Journal-Register.

Bianco’s cause and manner of death remains under investigation, according to the newspaper.

Bianco was last seen on April 5, 2008, according to the Journal-Register. Bianco was walking with her cousin when a man in a black Pontiac offered to give her a ride home. Her cousin told investigators that the man called Bianco by her name, according to The Associated Press.

A missing person report was filed three days later, according to the AP. If Bianco was alive, she would have been 59 years old.

© 2024 Cox Media Group