WACO, Texas — Waco Police confirmed Wednesday night that the vehicle recovered from the Brazos River belongs to a woman who was reported missing four years ago.
Police investigators have positively confirmed the VIN number of the recovered vehicle as missing 43-year-old Stephanie Torres’ vehicle.
Police say they also recovered a body.
"A body was recovered, however due to the decaying state of the body we are unable to confirm it is Ms. Torres. The bone fragment found is a separate initial finding when the vehicle was pulled out of the water, maybe 3 inches in length," according to Cierra Shipley, Waco Police Department's spokeswoman.
Shipley said around noon, police were notified by a team of divers that three vehicles were found submerged in the Brazos River. When police went to investigate, along with the Waco Fire Department’s dive team, they discovered one of the vehicles resembled the vehicle of Torres, a woman who was reported missing in December 2017.
Torres’ case was suspended in 2019 due to no additional evidence, Shipley said. Shipley added that there were no leads that brought them to the Brazos River, which is why officers did not search it for Torres.
Family told 6 News back in 2017 that Torres left her home without her cell phone, wallet and medication. Her daughter, Bianca, said Torres seemed depressed, suicidal and in pain due to her Fibromyalgia.
"Basically she got tired of being in pain all the time. Maybe that's why she left. Maybe she don't want to be here anymore,” her daughter said at the time.
In initial reports, Waco PD said Torres was last seen in a bluish 2006 Kia.
Stay with 6 News as this story develops.