What to Know
- Woman reported missing in July
- Car found in remote Cooke County with a body inside
- Medical examiner will identify remains, cause of death
The car belonging to a Fort Worth grandmother missing since July has been found in a remote area of Cooke County. A body found inside the vehicle has not yet been positively identified, police say.
Carolyn Riggins, 69, vanished after she won a jackpot at a Watauga bingo hall on July 11.
Her family has been searching for her and her missing car, a 2002 tan Lincoln Town Car, ever since.
Police said a license plate reader logged the car on Interstate 35 in Denton heading north at about 5:30 a.m. the day after she disappeared. But searches in the area turned up nothing.
Hunters found the vehicle Saturday in a wooded area, police said.
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The Dallas County Medical Examiner is examining the remains and will work to verify the person's identity and cause of death.
Fort Worth police confirmed the discovery.
“We will wait until the ME’s office completes their investigation,” the department said in an email. “Our Missing Person Unit has been involved during all the process and new findings.”
Homicide detectives are also aware of the development, Officer Daniel Segura said.
The Cooke County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately return a call for comment.
Riggins' family issued the following statement Monday.
"We would like to thank everyone who has followed finding Carolyn and prayed for us along the way. To those of you who searched with us, put out fliers, donated time, money, snacks, supplies and effort, we thank you. To those of you who wanted to do something but couldn’t, we felt your hearts and we know that you were with us in our search, our hopes, our sorrows. We are hurting now but the healing can begin now.
"We await positive identification, but part of us already knows... we get to lay my sweet sister to rest now. We get to commend her sweet soul to heaven.
"We ask that you all give us time to process this information. We ask for privacy for our family in this difficult time. We will respond to your thoughts and prayers as we can."
