Human remains were found Saturday morning in a secluded wooded area near Snohomish during a search for a missing Monroe, Washington woman, according to a press release from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
Kenna Harris, 25, has been missing since March 31, 2020. While the remains have not yet been positively identified by officials, the family was notified of the discovery on Saturday.
In a statement posted to the “Please Find Kenna Harris” Facebook page, the family confirmed the remains belonged to Kenna.
“With very heavy hearts and lots of tears, we share with you all that Kenna’s body has been found,” the post read. “As a family, we take comfort in the fact that Kenna is with God and we know we will be with her again one day. Kenna was the sparkle in our family and our own personal rainbow. We will always miss her.”
Kenna had suffered a traumatic brain injury in a high-speed rollover crash six years ago and has been living with her family in Monroe, Washington ever since, according to her mother Kelli Harris, who spoke to Dateline in July.
On March 31, 2020, instead of getting on her bus for her shift at Walmart, she packed her yoga mat and daily medications, withdrew cash from her bank and then rode the Community Transit bus to the Snohomish Shopping Center where she stopped at Subway. After discovering that they didn’t have gluten-free bread, Kenna left the store at 1:15 p.m. and wasn’t seen again.
Detective Dave Fontenot with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office previously told Dateline he has never seen a missing persons case where the person just seemingly vanished into thin air. He added that they had checked surveillance videos from the businesses and buses in the area, but there was no footage of Kenna. For months, search teams used drones and dogs to search the wooded area around the shopping center.
According to the press release, deputies with the sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit and members of the Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team conducted the most recent search on Saturday.
Officials did not say where the teams searched, but noted the area where the remains were found were in a location that wasn’t previously searched. The Medical Examiner is working to positively identify the remains and determine the cause and manner of death. Officials did not say if there was any evidence of foul play involved.
Anyone with information on Kenna’s death is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 425-388-3523 or submit a tip to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at www.crimestoppers.com or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).