Female remains found on Thursday in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park are likely those of a paramedic-firefighter who disappeared a week ago, Virginia State Police said.
Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in an email late on Thursday that troopers have preliminarily identified the body found as Nicole Mittendorff of Woodbridge, Virginia.
The Virginia medical examiner will have to confirm the identity through an autopsy and the body was taken to the chief medical examiner's office in Manassas, Geller said.
The evidence collected during the investigation, including a 'suicide note' found in Mittendorff's car, leads troopers to believe no foul play was involved in her death, she said. The contents of the note have not been publicly revealed.
Mittendorff's sister, Jennifer Clardy Chalmers, released a statement saying, 'We believe that Nicole has been found and is finally coming home, however not in the way we anticipated. This is not the positive outcome that we continued to hope and pray for over the past week. ... We thank everyone for their time, dedication and support in our search to find Nicole and ask that you keep our family in your prayers in the challenging days ahead.'
Mittendorff went missing a week ago after phoning in to work sick and leaving the home she shared with her husband.
Her abandoned car was later found in the Virginia National Park.
A park spokesman said: 'At approximately 2:00 p.m. a ground team of National Park Service and Virginia State Police personnel discovered a body in a remote location more than a mile from the Whiteoak Canyon parking area and about 330 yards from the trail in treacherous rocky terrain. National Park Service and Virginia State Police are currently still processing the scene,' said a statement from Shenandoah National Park.
Earlier on Thursday, the Facebook page Find Nicole said: 'Our hearts are broken. We thank you for your support and ask that you keep our family in your prayers in the challenging days ahead.'
Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in an email late on Thursday that troopers have preliminarily identified the body found as Nicole Mittendorff of Woodbridge, Virginia.
The Virginia medical examiner will have to confirm the identity through an autopsy and the body was taken to the chief medical examiner's office in Manassas, Geller said.
The evidence collected during the investigation, including a 'suicide note' found in Mittendorff's car, leads troopers to believe no foul play was involved in her death, she said. The contents of the note have not been publicly revealed.
Mittendorff's sister, Jennifer Clardy Chalmers, released a statement saying, 'We believe that Nicole has been found and is finally coming home, however not in the way we anticipated. This is not the positive outcome that we continued to hope and pray for over the past week. ... We thank everyone for their time, dedication and support in our search to find Nicole and ask that you keep our family in your prayers in the challenging days ahead.'
Mittendorff went missing a week ago after phoning in to work sick and leaving the home she shared with her husband.
Her abandoned car was later found in the Virginia National Park.
A park spokesman said: 'At approximately 2:00 p.m. a ground team of National Park Service and Virginia State Police personnel discovered a body in a remote location more than a mile from the Whiteoak Canyon parking area and about 330 yards from the trail in treacherous rocky terrain. National Park Service and Virginia State Police are currently still processing the scene,' said a statement from Shenandoah National Park.
Earlier on Thursday, the Facebook page Find Nicole said: 'Our hearts are broken. We thank you for your support and ask that you keep our family in your prayers in the challenging days ahead.'
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