Vanessa Smallwood, 46, was last seen on Jan. 27, 2014, at a dry cleaner in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
This week, her body was found in a vehicle submerged in the Salem River in southern New Jersey.
Diving contractors who were working to remove debris from the Salem River spotted a car at the bottom of the river on Thursday morning. When they realized it contained human remains, they notified authorities, Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan said, The Associated Press reported.
The vehicle was found in a “badly mangled” condition, Lenahan said.
The New Jersey State Police said in a press release on Thursday that members of the state police's marine operation and other units arrived at the scene to remove the car from the river and recover the body and take it to the Southern Regional Coroner’s Office for an autopsy.
Authorities said they do not suspect foul play in her disappearance.
Smallwood's name and photo had been on the FBI's missing persons list since 2014, authorities said.
