Skeletal remains found in Joiner, Arkansas, near purse containing ID for Michele Bell

Skeletal remains were found Monday near Joiner, Arkansas, next to a purse containing identification for a Missouri woman who disappeared three months ago.

Michele Bell, 36, of Caruthersville, Missouri, was last seen Dec. 9 at Interstate 55 southbound Exit 34 near her parked, maroon Chevrolet HHR.

Three months later, skeletal remains were found “a couple of miles” from where Bell’s vehicle was last seen, according to Bell’s aunt Lisa Chandler.

Chandler said the remains were discovered in a muddy field by a local farmer and a purse containing Bell’s ID was found nearby.

Bell’s mother, Denise Henning, made a post to Facebook on Monday evening sharing the information about the possible finding of her daughter’s remains.

“The remains are being sent to the crime lab for confirmation,” Henning said. “Thank you for all the prayers and shares and continue to pray for us.”

Mississippi County, Arkansas, Coroner Mike Godsey was contacted via phone Monday and confirmed the discovery of skeletal remains, but said the lab in Little Rock, Arkansas, would have to conduct testing to positively identify the remains as Bell.

Godsey was unable to provide additional information at this time.

Michele Bell's car is seen Dec. 9 where it was located near the Interstate 55 exit to Joiner, Arkansas.Photo courtesy of Robert Chandler

Mississippi County, Arkansas, Sheriff Dale Cook said his office received a call Monday morning in reference to possible human remains found near County Road 243, about 2 1/2 miles south of Highway 14.

“Upon our arrival, the remains were confirmed to be human and located in a field near South County Road 243, and they are being sent to Arkansas State Crime Lab for positive identification,” Cook said.

The sheriff said he was unable to comment further on the investigation.

The process of identifying the remains could take months, and Chandler said the family is searching for any of Bell’s dental records to aid investigators in identifying the remains.

An endangered-person advisory for Bell was issued by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Dec. 10 and stated a “missing person incident” occurred 11:43 p.m. Dec. 8 at 405 Ferguson Ave. in Caruthersville.

In a Dec. 20 interview, Caruthersville police chief Tony Jones said officers were dispatched to Bell’s address at that time, and their call report stated Bell was “extremely mentally unstable, paranoid and hallucinating” but she refused medical attention and left town.

On Monday night, Jones gave clarification to comments made months prior and said the officers responding Dec. 8 were told Bell may have been experiencing a mental episode based on information later provided to Jones by Bell’s family members.

About an hour after being contacted by Caruthersville officers at her home Dec. 8, Bell was next seen parked on the side of an overpass at Interstate 55 mile marker 24 where she encountered off-duty Hayti, Missouri, police officer Steven Hill but told him she was fine and did not need police or medical assistance.

As an off-duty officer outside of his jurisdiction, Hill was then instructed by Pemiscot County sheriff’s deputy Landon Pruiett to let her go if she didn’t want an ambulance.

Hill informed the Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Department of the vehicle at 1:28 a.m. Dec. 9, according to the report. It was the last time Bell was seen in Missouri.

A series of interstate travelers reported sightings of Bell near the vehicle from dawn until dusk Dec. 9 at Interstate 55 southbound Exit 34, and the missing woman was gone by about 7:15 p.m. when her relatives found the vehicle.

Members of Search Dogs South, a Mississippi-based canine search-and-rescue team of volunteers, search for Michele Bell on Dec. 19 in Arkansas.Photo courtesy of Robert Chandler

Chandler and her husband, Robert, conducted multiple searches of the area near where they found Bell’s vehicle.

After the first week of searching, the family organized a Dec. 14 search party of almost 50 participants. When that didn’t work, they offered a reward and even went as far as to personally enlist help from an independent search dog team Dec. 19, but none led to Bell’s discovery.

“To know that you passed her up day after day after day, I mean, that’s horrible,” Lisa Chandler said.

Throughout the family’s search efforts, Lisa and Robert Chandler expressed their dissatisfaction with search efforts and communications coordinated by law enforcement agencies.

Search efforts were conducted “for several days” by Arkansas investigators near where the remains were found, according to Cook, but their use of a team of cadaver dogs and multiple drone searches yielded no discoveries.

“You’ve got trees and such, and all kinds of drainage ditches and things in that area [where the remains were found],” Cook said. “... You’ve got farms, fields, trees, tree growth spots, drainage ditches, etc.”

Cook said he was unable to speak on any investigations conducted at other agencies.

Caruthersville chief of police Tony Jones said by phone Monday night that he had been in Mississippi County, Arkansas, earlier in the day. Jones also said he personally retrieved dental records from a Caruthersville dentist to deliver to the crime lab in Little Rock.

Jones said his department did as much as it could within its jurisdictions, but advised any information regarding the investigations outside of the Caruthersville city limits would need to come from those officials at the Mississippi County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office or the Arkansas State Police.

“We’ve done our part at the Caruthersville Police Department,” the chief said.