Emily Strite, missing mom of 4, found dead in woods months after disappearance
DE SOTO, Mo. - The remains of Emily Strite, a 33-year-old mother of four who mysteriously disappeared in mid-April, have been found in the same St. Louis, Missouri, suburb where she went missing.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Strite was last seen the morning of April 12 leaving a friend’s house in the De Soto area, about 45 miles from St. Louis.
At the time, investigators said it appeared Strite was "leaving the area on her own free will." That same morning, she told her mom she was going to Cahokia, Illinois, to visit her three younger children. The three younger children live with their father, Steve Fults.
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Strite’s mother, Charlyn McClain, reported her missing eight days later. McClain told NBC News she received an alarming phone call on April 19 from Fults, who said he hadn’t heard from Strite in a week.
Last week, on Sept. 28, deputies responded to a wooded area in De Soto, where skeleton remains were found. The remains were later identified as Strite, though no cause of death has been determined. McClain told NBC the remains were found near the home where Strite was staying.
In a text message exchange with NBC, Fults described Strites as a "strong courageous woman and a great mom." He said he hadn’t seen her since late March or early April and was not aware that Strite had planned to visit her kids.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has not yet determined whether her death was criminal or whether foul play was involved.