The St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office says that Casey Marie Collins, whose remains were found in January near Franklin may have died from blunt force trauma to the head.
According to Sheriff Blaise Smith, right now, investigators believe Collins, 39, of Lafayette, died by blunt force trauma.
"We don't know exactly where it happened at, we did a search, a long search, several hundred yards, on both sides of the levee, we had dogs, metal detectors, we were unable to come up with anything," Smith said.
They state that the decomposition of Collins' remains indicate she had been dead for 6 months to a year before being found by two hunters.
KATC spoke with Collins' sister who said she had last seen her sister in April 2020, however family did hear from her sometime after.
They say a missing person's report was filed on Collins at the end of November or early December.
Collins' remains, which Smith says was a skull and a few clothing items, were found in a wooded area 10 miles north of Franklin on January 8, 2021. He believes animal activity played a part in what little was found.
"She was in an area that has a lot of animal activity. There's a lot on the bar pit, alligators there, we have coyotes, foxes, raccoons, all along that stretch on the levee where she was found at," he said.
Detectives, using the CODIS system, were able to identify the remains. The investigation is continuing as a homicide. The public is advised to contact the St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office with any information that may be helpful in this case.
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