Family believes human remains found in Scott County belong to missing mother

"I don't feel like she got into those woods on her own," Marsha Helton said. "Things like this doesn't happen in Scott County."

Helton has many questions about the disappearance of her niece, Amanda Martin. 

Martin has been missing from Lexington, Indiana, since Sept. 13, 2024. Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin originally said her disappearance was a "true mystery" because there were no clues. She was staying with a friend in an RV on Frog Pond Road. That friend told her family that he ran to the store, and Martin was gone when he returned.

Martin's shoes, wallet, phone, and other belongings were all left behind.

"I'm still in shock, kind of, because you just don't expect something like this to happen to your family," Helton said.

On Tuesday, the Scott County Sheriff's Office and Indiana State Police found "skeletal remains" on a wooded property near where Martin was last seen.

"Right now, we cannot make any kind of positive identification," Sheriff Jerry Goodin said. "The remains were turned over to the coroner's office."

"I'm sure that it's her," Helton said. "It's heartbreaking."

Sheriff Goodin said it could take six to eight weeks to identify the body found in the woods and determine a cause of death.

"It's kind of confusing because I know that area was searched multiple times," Helton said. "Even myself, I searched multiple times. We need answers."  

Martin's daughter, Mariah, released the following statement on behalf of her family after the remains were found:

"We appreciate all concern, well wishes, and prayers we’ve received in the last two months, and even more so in the last 24 hours. We also want to thank the sheriff’s office, detectives, FBI, sheriff’s posse, and everyone else who has been diligently working on the case. While the circumstances are not what we had hoped, we are grateful to be closer to closure and to knowing exactly what happened."

Sheriff Goodin said the investigation is ongoing. He asks anyone with information to reach out to the Scott County Sheriff's Office at 812-752-8400. You can remain anonymous.