Joanna Talks, 32, died as a result of head and neck injuries.
Officials determined that the bones discovered earlier this month outside an abandoned barn in Washington State belonged to a missing mother of three.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office has declared that Joanna Speaks’ death is now being investigated as a homicide.
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Speaks’ body was discovered April 8 outside a secluded Ridgefield, Wash., barn, and “there are evidence the body was transferred to this area,” according to a news statement from the sheriff’s office.
According to the medical examiner, Speaks died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck, according to KGW-TV.
“That simply doesn’t make sense,” Robyn Speaks, her sister, told the channel.
“That keeps me awake at night knowing that whomever did this to her, blunt force trauma to the head and neck, that is violent, and that person is still walking around,” Speaks’ stepsister Ariel Hamby added.
Speaks leaves behind three children: a seven-year-old girl and two adolescent boys. According to the source, the family last communicated with Speaks in March.
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“You can tell [the children are] sad,” Hamby remarked. “They were distraught for a few days, but now it’s as if they’re trying to avoid talking about it.”
Police have not named a suspect or given a reason for the death.
Anybody with information about the case is encouraged to call the CCSO at 564-397-2847.