Missing Kansas Women Found Dead in Rural Colorado

Two women who were reported missing in Kansas earlier this month were recently found dead in a rural area in Colorado, according to the police.

The Emporia Police Department said in a statement on Thursday that the bodies of Linda Estrada, 44, and Amy Ford, 39, were found in rural eastern Colorado after a 10-day investigation. 

The investigation began after a family member reported Estrada missing on September 11 and Ford was reported missing shortly afterwards, according to the police. 

Both women were together in Colorado the weekend before Estrada was reported missing. 

The police arrested a person of interest on charges not related to this case. The Emporia police wouldn’t release the person’s name due to the ongoing investigation, but confirmed that the individual has been cooperative with authorities. 

Authorities in Colorado searched for the women for five days, using K9s, airplanes, drones and conducting on-ground searches. 

“While Linda and Amy’s deaths are not the outcome we’d hoped for, the men and women of the Emporia Police Department offer our condolences to their families and want you to know how many people cared about finding them,” said the Emporia police, adding that the investigation has been turned over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and an eastern Colorado Sheriff’s Office.

The Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office said authorities found human remains south of Eads and that it is currently working with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in “an active criminal investigation,” the Kansas City Star reported. 

The cause of death is pending an autopsy, according to the police.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) database estimates that there are 600,000 people declared missing in the United States every year. Additionally, there are 4,400 unidentified bodies discovered annually. Over 23,000 missing person cases remain open in 2023 as of Sunday, according to the latest NamUs data.