SMITH COUNTY, Texas ( KLTV /Gray News) - Authorities in Texas say they believe a body found in a private pond is that of a woman who had been missing for two years.

According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, a backpack belonging to Courtney Taylor Martin, who was 34 at the time of her disappearance, was found last month about 150 yards away from where her body was located in the pond.

“The mother said that she is glad to have some closure. But obviously she wants to know what happened to her daughter, and we want to know as well,” Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said.

According to Smith, dive teams found the body in an area pond, with the remains being sent to a forensic institution in Dallas.

The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said Martin was last seen alive in May 2023. The wo

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