Members of Almaz Gebremedhin's family are heartbroken after police say they found the Collin County woman's body in a Wylie pond.
The city of Wylie said a search and rescue team discovered her van in the Muddy Creek Farms pond at 2500 McMillen Road in Wylie. A dive team discovered the body of the woman who had been missing since Oct. 2 inside the van.
"As to any family, to any friends, it's frustrating to not locate someone right in the backyard here for five weeks," said family friend Feyera Milkessa.
The small pond is by the side of the road 42-year-old Gebremedhin traveled to work.
"We all looked. It’s unfortunate. It was right there in front of us and it hurts all of us," said Wylie police Sgt. Donna Valdepena.
Monday afternoon investigators marked the path she took off the road and into the water. The damage to the wire fence she drove through is virtually unnoticeable.
"There was no indication that there was any reason to search that pond," said Valdepena.
A private search and recovery team from Illinois found the van using sonar on a small remote-controlled boat to search every pond along her drive to work.
"I don't know why it takes too long to find her when it is a big water," said family friend Joseph Sahledingil.
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Police said they're still investigating how the van ended up in the pond. According to the medical examiner, the cause of death is consistent with a traffic accident, and no foul play or medical conditions were noted.
Gebremedhin was a married mother of two children, ages 10 and 8. She and her husband are natives of Ethiopia.
