Human remains in submerged vehicle ID’d as Burlco woman missing since 2014
Vanessa Smallwood, of Maple Shade, was last seen at a Cherry Hill cleaners.
Human remains found in a submerged vehicle pulled from the Salem River were identified Friday as a Maple Shade woman who disappeared nearly six years ago.
Vanessa Smallwood was last seen on Jan. 27, 2014, at Any Garment Cleaners in Cherry Hill, the FBI reported in a missing person alert. She was driving a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country van. Her mobile phone was pinged at 10:22 a.m. at 738 Broad St. in Clayton Borough in Gloucester County. There was no subsequent activity connected to Smallwood, including the use of her credit and debit cards, the FBI said.
The FBI said she was 46 at the time she went missing. The state police on Friday reported her age as 52.
On Thursday, the New Jersey State Police responded in Salem County after the Walker Diving Underwater Construction Co. reported finding what appeared to be human remains in a car in the river around noon in the area of West Broadway Street in Salem.
State Police investigators arrived and the vehicle was retrieved from the water. The remains were transported to the Southern Regional Coroner’s Office and were scheduled for an autopsy. The case remained under investigation, state police said.
TV news video showed the crumpled vehicle being removed and it appeared unrecognizable as to its make or model.