The body of a Georgia mother of three who has been reported missing for more than two years may have been identified, according to reports.
The Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office announced that the remains of 26-year-old Olivia Samantha Fowler have been positively identified using DNA technology.
The remains of Georgia's mother Olivia Samantha Fowler, missing for over two years, were identified using DNA technology.
— US-Crimes (@OfficialUScrime) August 24, 2023
The investigation is ongoing, cause of death is undisclosed. The family requests privacy to grieve. #Theft #CrimeNews pic.twitter.com/gpOjo0WqHJ
“[Officers] met with and notified the immediate family members of Olivia Samantha Fowler that the remains recovered in December 2022 were in fact Olivia as they were verified through DNA testing,” Sheriff Chuck Smith said on Tuesday.
“Although the outcome of the disappearance of Olivia Samantha Fowler is not what any of the family or law enforcement wanted, this investigation remains active and on-going,” he added. “This case will now be classified from a missing person case to a death investigation.”
Fowler was first reported missing to the sheriff’s office on August 14, 2021, a day after she was last seen at around 10:30 a.m. on Pebblebrook Road outside the town of Manchester.
Investigators were later tipped off about the discovered remains on December 16, 2022, and they were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab, which shared samples with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Smith did not give any suggestions on how Fowler died, despite claims from her family that she may have been murdered by a man she had been dating. “There is still much evidence to be analyzed and processed,” the sheriff said.
In the wake of the tragic news, Fowler’s family is asking for privacy as authorities continue their investigation.
“The family request that they be allowed to properly grieve this recent news and to be supportive of them during this difficult time,” the sheriff’s statement read. “The family would like the public to know that Olivia was not only a mother, but a daughter, a sister, a grandchild, and an important member of the Fowler family.”
Fowler’s aunt Tamara McCoy told reporters in September 2021 that “Olivia wouldn’t go 40 days without reaching out to her family.”
McCoy also said that year that Fowler was a “great mother with the biggest heart,” adding: “Olivia loves family — loves, loves, loves her family.”
