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New Jersey woman's skeletal remains found in submerged car six years after she went missing

Diving contractors who were working in the river, looking for underwater obstructions, found the crushed car with the remains inside it in. The car was pulled out of the water by the New Jersey State Police. So far, authorities have not revealed a cause of death.
PUBLISHED JAN 19, 2020
Representational photo (Getty Images)
Representational photo (Getty Images)

The skeletal remains of a New Jersey woman, who was reported missing six years ago, were found in a crushed car pulled out of New Jersey's Salem River on January 16. An autopsy confirmed that the remains were that of 46-year-old Vanessa Smallwood of Burlington Township, New Jersey, who was reported missing in February 2014. 

According to the reports, diving contractors who were working in the river, looking for underwater obstructions, found the crushed car with the remains inside it in. The car was pulled out of the water around noon by the New Jersey State Police. So far, authorities have not revealed a cause of death. They said, however, that there was no indication that there had been any foul play involved in her death.

Vanessa was a mother of three adult sons and had been reported missing on February 4, 2014, eight days after she was last seen outside dry cleaners in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, in a Chrysler Town & Country minivan. She was reportedly waiting in the car while her husband was inside the store. When he returned outside, both the car and Vanessa had disappeared. While authorities have confirmed that the car pulled from the river was indeed a Chrysler, they have not yet revealed the year or model of the car. It is also unclear as of yet how long the car had been in the river and how it ended up there in the first place.  

After Vanessa’s body was identified, one of her sons, Brandon Williams, took to Facebook and said that while he was saddened by his mother's death, “at least I know you aren’t here to suffer anymore in this destructive world we live in.”

Brandon further wrote, “I’ve always know you were no longer here I just didn’t want it to be so when I could no longer sense your Aura I knew you were gone Mom I remember so many traditions we had and did together and I promise I’ll continue them with my kids tell them all about their grandma one day I’m glad you found peace mom for whatever that’s worth.”

Vanessa reportedly had previous mental health issues and was on disability from her contract job at the Philadelphia International Airport at the time of her disappearance. 

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