Body of missing activist Amber Evans, 28, found in Ohio river two months after she disappeared
A body that was recovered from a river in Ohio on March 23 had been positively identified as a community activist who went missing on January 28 after she had an argument with her boyfriend.
Authorities have been looking for 28-year-old Amber Evans for almost two months when her body was finally pulled from the Scioto River in Columbus on March 23, which is about a mile downstream from where her car was found abandoned around the time she went missing.
Details about the missing activist's cause of death and how or when she ended up in the river have still not been revealed, according to a Daily Mail report.
The Columbus Division of Police released a statement on March 24 that read: "While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we understand this brings closure for the family. Our thoughts & prayers go out to them."
Ever since the investigation into Evans' disappearance began, authorities have stressed that there had been no known domestic violence issues between her and her partner. They also maintained that there was no reason to suspect any foul play, even though it is unclear whether this is still the case after they recovered the body.
Tonya Fischer, Evans' mother, told 10TV that her daughter had sent her a text saying: "I love you and I'm sorry," on the night that she went missing. Many residents in the area have accused the Columbus police of conducting an excruciatingly slow investigation because Evans had been a vocal critic of the department in the past.
Officials with the department have since refuted that claim and said that there have been delays because it had been too cold to search through the river initially. Investigators on the case also said that they tried to "ping" the young woman's cellphone to find the location and used drones to canvas the area in which she had disappeared.
Volunteer groups also organized multiple search parties for 28-year-old Evans who had been known as an active member of several community justice organizations including the People's Justice Project and the Juvenile Justice Coalition. She had also been one of the key organizers of protests at Columbus City Hall.
The lead organizer for Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Columbus, Tynan Krakoff, said in a statement: "SURJ is heartbroken at the loss of Amber Evans. We've organized closely with Amber and People's Justice Project the past three years fighting for justice for countless victims of police brutality. We will honor Amber's legacy by continuing to fight for a world where Black lives matter and fight for a Columbus for all. Anyone who knew Amber knows that she was extremely disciplined and dedicated to struggling for a better world."
Tynan added, "She treated everyone with dignity and when you spoke, it always felt like she truly was listening. She was a fighter and we will continue her legacy. One way the community can honor Amber Evans is to get involved in the fight for racial justice. If Amber was alive, she would be fighting right now for campaigns like the one to free Masonique Saunders. Or fighting to push Ron O'Brien out of office. Ron O'Brien has been county prosecutor since 1996 but has never held a police officer accountable for a shooting."