Julia Christine Devlin found dead. Body of missing UVA lecturer believed to have been found in Shenandoah National Park. Cause of death pending autopsy.
A body believed to be that of a missing Virginia woman and lauded economist has been found in the Shenandoah National Park, officials said Saturday.
Based on the preliminary identification of the remains, the search for Julia Christine Devlin has been suspended, the park said in a news release.
The body of was found around 10 a.m. in ‘extremely steep and rough terrain in the southernmost part of the park,’ the news release said. It was being transported to a medical examiner, who will confirm the identity and determine the cause of death.
Devlin, a 55-year-old University of Virginia (UVA) economics department lecturer, was last seen in Charlottesville on July 14.
Security footage showed Devlin’s car entering the park late that Wednesday, park officials had previously said. Her sedan was found wrecked and abandoned July 17 on Skyline Drive in the southern part of the park.
#NEW update from @ShenandoahNPS: Julia Devlin is still missing. Her car was found wrecked off of Skyline Drive on Saturday. They have wrapped up their search on the ground in spaces of the highest probability and have been investigating behind the scenes as well- so far no clues. pic.twitter.com/6sLMwbeWHa
— Riley Wyant (@rileywyantTV) July 21, 2021
Cause of death pending autopsy
Canine teams and officials with the FBI, Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia Department of Emergency Management assisted in the search effort, along with many search-and-rescue groups, according to Saturday’s news release.
Authorities didn’t say whether foul play was suspected in the death or where exactly the body was found in relation to the wrecked vehicle. Or when she may have died following the crash of her vehicle.