Cause of death released for Des Moines woman who was missing for nearly two months

A Des Moines woman was missing for nearly two months this spring before her body was found in a residential yard. Her death was ruled an accident.

Jeanette Marie Bear, 30, was last seen on March 14 in the 4300 block of Merle Hay Road and reported missing March 16. Her body was found on May 9, about a half-mile away from where she was last seen.

Bear's cause of death was acute drug intoxication, specifically methamphetamine, with hypothermia as a contributing factor, according to Alex Carfrae, spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

There were no obvious signs of traumatic injury or criminal action at the scene, according to a previous news release.

Sgt. Paul Parizek, spokesperson with the Des Moines Police Department, said her previous history and contributing factors point to Bear possibly seeking shelter from the weather and dying before she could be located.

"The space where she was found was not visible until the day she was discovered, after a trailer was moved," Parizek said. "There’s nothing to indicate she got into that space by anything other than her own effort."

Noelle Alviz-Gransee is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Follow her on Twitter@NoelleHannika or email her at NAlvizGransee@registermedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drugs, hypothermia listed as factors in missing Des Moines woman's death