Social media helps police find relative of woman whose body was found in Missouri

The family of a woman whose body was discovered by a mushroom hunter in Missouri has been found, officials say.

The remains of Deborah Brown were discovered in Branson in April, and investigators released her identity last week.

However, they couldn’t find a relative to notify of her death.

On Tuesday, Branson police said they found a distant family member to Brown with the help of a Facebook post shared 2,400 times, reaching over 170,000 people.

“The response from our community, as well as people across the country, was great,” Branson Police Chief Jeff Matthews said in a news release. “Thank you to everyone who helped us with this. It was a true community effort to bring closure to Deborah Brown’s family.”

The mushroom hunter found the remains April 10 in a wooded area of Branson near state Highway 248 and Gretna Road, officials say.

Branson police and the Taney County coroner searched the area for clues for the next day in hopes of learning how the woman died.

But a month later, Brown’s cause of death is undetermined and the investigation is still active, officials say.

Born in 1958, Brown previously lived in Illinois and may have moved to Missouri in 2014, officials say. The last time Brown was seen alive may have been in 2017, officials say.

Anyone with information can call the Branson Police Department’s tip line at 417-334-1085 or complete an online tip submission here.

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