Ashley Miller Carlson missing Wisconsin mom of four found dead near where she was last seen 2 months ago. Cause of death yet to be determined.
The remains of a missing Wisconsin mother of four are thought to have been found east of Hinckley, Minnesota, near where she was last seen in late September.
Ashley Miller Carlson, 33, was last seen on September 23 near the Lake Lena community on the Mille Lacs Band’s Reservation in Minnesota, the Duluth News Tribune reported.
Carlson’s rental car was found on September 24, partially submerged in Graces Lake in the Saint Croix State Forest, not far from Lake Lena, one of several districts of the reservation separated from its main part. The missing woman’s belongings were found inside the vehicle.
Deputies from the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin — just across the Minnesota state line — checked Carlson’s home, but she wasn’t there, sparking the two-month search.
While the remains will be positively identified and cause of death determined by a medical examiner, investigators believe they have located Carlson.
Foul play?
Authorities in several counties conducted “exhaustive searches” with help from partner law enforcement agencies and volunteers, including at least 15 ground searches, seven drone searches, and two searches of Graces Lake.
‘This is a sad day our family hoped would not come, and there are still many questions that need answers, but the important thing is we now have Ashley,’ said Carlson’s mother, Krista Struck, in a statement. ‘Our family received incredible support from the community these past many weeks, and we thank them, the Christian Aid Ministries volunteer search and rescue team, the many involved law enforcement agencies and Applied Professional Services for helping locate Ashley.’
Authorities did not say where exactly the remains were found or what led searchers there, but they did say that it received more than 70 calls to its tip line and that many of them proved helpful.
Not immediately clear is whether investigators believe Carlson’s death was the result of foul play?
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Pine County Sheriff’s Office at 320- 629-8380, the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office at 715-349-2121 or anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-222-8477.
