GARDEN RIDGE, Texas, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The body of a woman who went missing last month has been found less than a mile from where she disappeared.
Leanne Bearden, who disappeared while out for a walk on January 17 in Garden Ridge, Texas, was found dead Thursday in the woods a few blocks from her husband's parents' home.
Police said a man working in the area spotted the body and notified police shortly after noon Thursday. Officials turned up what appeared to be the backpack and jewelry Bearden was last seen with, as well as her ID, with the body.
“We will reserve any information regarding the cause of death until an autopsy has been performed," said Donna O'Conner, chief of the Garden Ridge Police Department.
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Police did not say if Bearden's death was being investigated as a homicide, suicide or accident.
Bearden and her husband, Josh, had returned in December from a two-year trip around the world. They spent some time briefly in Georgia before heading to Garden Ridge, northeast of San Antonio.
After she disappeared, more than 100 volunteers with the Texas Search and Rescue and the Texas State Guard Maritime Regiment joined in the month-long search.
“Although this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we draw comfort and support from the outpouring of prayers, actions and good wishes from all, including over 20,000 Facebook friends,” said her father-in-law, Will Bearden, on a Facebook page dedicated to the search.
The Beardens had spend 22 months trekking all over the world on a journey that spanned six continents. Her family suggested that her return to "normal" life had been rocky.
"The pressure of transitioning from her two-year trip back into what we consider 'normal' life seems to have left her very anxious and stressed," the family said, acknowledging that "there is evidence that Leanne may have voluntarily left."
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