Almost 10 days have passed since Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) received reports that 22 year old Denise Martin had gone missing from the Virginia Beach, Redmill and Hampton Road areas.
During the search for Martin, on June 27 at 9:00 a.m. members of the VBPD’s Detective Bureau, Virginia Department of Emergency Management and Virginia Beach Community Emergency Response Team discovered a deceased person along the wooded area of the 2500 block of Edgehill Avenue.
"Due to the heat and the weather we have had in the area, a considerable amount of rain, the infestation, there was no way to make an immediate determination of who this individual was," said VBPD Public Affairs Officer Tonya Pierce.
Pierce did not deny nor confirm if the body had evidence of foul play and the cause of death is still being determined.
The body was turned over to the Medical Examiner's office to determine the identity.
"We don't want anybody to assume because we have family members of whoever this individual that was located we have family members on that side and we have family members of Ms. Martin to be concerned with," said Pierce.
The news took to social media by friend Miriam Loya.
“We are aware that a body was found. There’s no confirmation that it’s Denise. I ask that over everything, everyone respect the family’s privacy and give them space. No one should be contacting them right now,” Loya stated in the Facebook post.
VBPD still has an active missing persons investigation ongoing for Martin, according to Pierce.
"In order for us to determine where we go in the process with the investigation at this point right now we have to determine who the decedent is in order to determine which direction to go," said Pierce. "Once we get the Medical Examiner's report back we will be able to have a better idea of what may have occurred."
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had no comment on the status of the identification.
If anyone has any information regarding the search, please contact either Loya via Facebook or Twitter or the VA Beach police department via 757-385-4141.
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