Officers searching for 63-year-old Kathleen Harrison Trent, reported missing from her Riverhead home on Jan. 29, found the remains of an unidentified woman in a Manorville wood on Feb. 11. Suffolk County Police say preliminary evidence suggests the death may be criminal and the Homicide Squad has taken over the investigation. The medical examiner will determine the victim's identity and cause of death while inquiries into Trent's disappearance continue.
Search For Missing Grandmother Turns Into Homicide Probe After Remains Found In Long Island Woods
A woman was found dead in the woods in New York on Feb. 11News 12/YouTube
Officers searching for a missing Riverhead grandmother discovered the remains of another woman in a wooded area of Manorville on Feb. 11, prompting Suffolk County police to open a suspected homicide investigation.
Seventh Precinct patrol units located the unidentified woman's body along Connecticut Avenue, south of River Road, at about 3:21 p.m., the Suffolk County Police Department said in a news release. Preliminary evidence led the department's Homicide Squad to treat the death as potentially criminal in nature.
The Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the woman's identity and the cause of death. Investigators have not released her name pending family notification and the completion of forensic examination.
Kathleen TrentRiverhead Police Department
The discovery occurred during an active search for 63-year-old Kathleen Harrison Trent, who was reported missing from her Forge Road home in Riverhead on Jan. 29 by her son. Trent, who worked as a security guard at the Riverhead Raceway, remains unaccounted for while investigators continue their efforts to locate her.
'I thought it was fake,' said Trent's godsister, Kelly Turbush, describing her reaction to the news that Trent was missing. 'I thought I was dreaming … then I called her son and I asked him, is it true? He said they tried calling her and she wasn't picking up, and that wasn't like her.'
Family and friends describe Trent as a generous, well-liked grandmother who would help anyone in need. Detectives are asking anyone with information about either the missing woman or the discovery in Manorville to contact the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392.
PEOPLE and local outlets have been contacted for additional comment; the Suffolk County Police Department continues to lead the investigation.
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