A diving team in North Carolina recently discovered the remains of a woman who went missing more than a year ago, authorities said.
The woman, 33-year-old mother Dana Leigh Mustian, disappeared in November 2023 from Warrenton, North Carolina, near the Virginia border, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Mustian was last seen Nov. 30 at her home, according to the sheriff’s office and CBS News affiliate WNCN.
Divers found possible human remains while searching Thursday in Vance County, less than 20 miles west of Warrenton, the sheriff said, noting the State Bureau of Investigations was also involved in the operation. The North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed Mustian’s identity. An investigation into her disappearance and death is ongoing, the sheriff added.
Warren County authorities sent out a missing person bulletin for Mustian after she vanished. It included several photographs and descriptions of her as authorities sought help from community members who might have information about her whereabouts. “Dana’s friends and family are concerned for her well-being,” the bulletin read.
Mustian was initially reported missing on Dec. 4, 2023, after failing to appear at her daughter’s 6th birthday party, WNCN reported, citing officials and her family. The woman had been dropped off at her Warrenton home by her father on the day she was last seen, telling him at the time that she would see him the following day, according to the news station. Her family previously told WNCN they tried contacting Mustian repeatedly but their calls went directly to voicemail.
The woman’s family, friends and others in the community organized searches for Mustian in January 2024, and several official probes took place on land and in water the next month, WNCN reported.