Discovery of human remains ends 3½-year-long search for missing expectant mother
Marie Stuart, 38, was pregnant at the time of her disappearance from an Abbotsford neighbourhood
The discovery of human remains on a rural property east of Vancouver has ended a search that began more than three years ago, according to the Abbotsford Police Department.
A police statement issued Wednesday said the bones of Marie Stuart, 38, were found in the 32000 block of King Road in Abbotsford, B.C., Mar. 19.
Police said her death is not considered suspicious.
Stuart had been reported missing in the Fraser Valley city on Dec. 27, 2016.
At the time, her husband said he was the last to see her after the pair got off a bus at Sevenoaks Shopping Centre around 3 p.m.
Stuart was five months pregnant at the time.
Police said the department had received many tips about the case "in the early days," but a month later, leads had dried up.
Over the following years, her family made several public appeals for help in the search.
"My family and I wish to express our sincere thanks to the Abbotsford Police Department, our friends, neighbours and community for their help, support, & prayers regarding Marie," said Stuart's mother in Wednesday's statement.
The police investigation into the cause of her death is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call police.