March 26 (UPI) -- Remains found in a wooded area in Ohio have been identified as Paige Johnson, a Kentucky teen who went missing nearly a decade ago.
Johnson, a single mother from Covington, Ky., vanished on Sept. 23, 2010, after attending a party with friends.
The remains were identified after a two-day search in a wooded area near Williamsburg Township in Clermont County, Ohio, a Covington Police Department Facebook post Wednesday shows. The search started when deputies received a tip from an individual Sunday who said they believed they identified human remains.
Three agencies were involved in the search, including Clermont County sheriff's deputies, the Clermont County coroner and the Covington Police Department. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office identified the remains as Paige Johnson's on Tuesday and the Covington Police Department notified Paige's family Wednesday morning.
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"I've been wanting to bring my baby home for so long," Paige's mother Donna Johnson said. "This is a day I was worried I would go to my grave without ever getting this day."
She added that finally being able to bring her remains home has left her with mixed emotions, "overwhelming happiness with sadness at the same time."
Family members say Paige had a daughter who is growing up missing her mother.
The cause of Paige's death has not yet been determined, officials said.
Authorities said they will continue to investigate and search the scene.
"We want to be hopeful that this will lead to more information," Covington Police Chief Robert Nader said. "We still have work to do."
Police said that Jacob Bumpass was the last person to see Paige alive, but he has not been named as a suspect. Bumpass told investigators he dropped Paige off in Covington that night but police said his cell phone pinged on a cell tower near East Fork Lake and Paige's remains were found about a mile and a half from that tower.
Anyone with information on her disappearance can call Greater Cincinnati Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
