REMAINS OF MISSING CECIL CO. WOMAN FOUND

(NEWARK, DE) – The search for a Cecil County woman missing more than three years ended yesterday when medical examiners positively identified human remains found last weekend just over the Maryland line in Delaware as those of the missing woman.

The remains were identified as Brittany N. Peart, 21, of the unit-block of Manor Road, in Elkton, Md. The identification was made by forensic doctors at the Delaware Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Forensic Sciences Laboratory. Doctors identified the remains using dental records. An autopsy is continuing in an attempt to determine the cause and manner of her death.

The human remains were found on the evening of December 4, 2011, by two hunters in a wooded area between Frenchtown Road and McDaniel Road in Newark, De. The area is just over the Maryland state line and is between Elkton, Md., and Newark, De.

The hunters contacted Delaware State Police, who secured the scene and recovered the remains on December 5th. Members of the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit and the medical examiner’s office processed the scene for evidence.

A Delaware State Police Homicide Unit sergeant had previously assisted Maryland State Police Cold Case Homicide Unit investigators with the investigation into Peart’s disappearance. He alerted Maryland State Police investigators to the discovery of the remains. Information concerning Peart, including dental records, was made available to Delaware authorities.

Brittany Peart was reported missing to Maryland State Police by her mother in late September 2008. Her mother said she last saw Peart in late July 2008, at the home they shared in Elkton.

Maryland State Police have continued to search for Peart. As recently as July 2011, Maryland State Police and Natural Resources Police coordinated a search for her along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

A joint investigation by the Maryland State Police Cold Case Homicide Unit and the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit is continuing. Anyone with information concerning Brittany Peart is urged to contact Maryland State Police at the North East Barrack, at 410-996-7800 or at the Cold Case Unit at 410-953-8211. Callers may remain confidential