Human remains were recently discovered inside the vehicle of Samantha Jean Hopper, a woman who disappeared 23 years ago along with her child in Arkansas. This discovery sheds new light on a case that has long haunted the community and the family of the missing woman.

According to a statement released by the Pope County Sheriff’s Office, the nonprofit group Adventures With Purpose—an organization that specializes in solving cold cases—played a pivotal role in locating Hopper’s car. The vehicle was found submerged in eight feet of water, bringing closure to a mystery that had persisted since Hopper’s disappearance in 1998.

Samantha Jean Hopper was reported missing on September 11, 1998. At the time, she had been en route to drop off her daughter, Courtney Holt, before heading to a concert in Little Rock. However, Hopper, her daughter, and the blue Ford Tempo they were traveling in vanished without a trace, leaving her loved ones in a prolonged state of grief and confusion.

For years, the whereabouts of Hopper and her daughter remained a mystery. That is, until Adventures With Purpose made the groundbreaking discovery, locating the car under eight feet of water. Investigators from the Pope County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the findings, stating that the human remains inside the vehicle will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock for DNA testing to formally identify the remains. Read more below