PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The remains of a 29-year-old Astoria woman who was missing for three years have been found.
In March 2022, Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office received a report of possible human skeletal remains found on Lois Island – in the Columbia River between Tongue Point and the John Day River outlet.
Officials confirmed they were human remains and determined they had been there for some time.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as those of Maya Sanders who was reported missing by her mother on March 12, 2019, Astoria police said.
She was last seen in the downtown area crossing Marine Drive at 16th Street in 2019. Some of her property was found at 6th Street and then a scarf was later located near the Comfort Suites on the Riverwalk.
Astoria police said surveillance video showed her walking alone in the North Point Tongue area onto a pier but she never returned to shore on video.
A search and rescue dog was deployed in the area and ended up tracking her scent to the same location — the end of the pier.
“Based on this information, there is a strong probability that she went into the water,” Deputy Police Chief Eric Halverson said during the investigation into her disappearance.
Astoria police said the investigation has not found she was a victim of criminal activity.