Remains found in private pond believed to be Tyler woman missing for 2 years

SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - The Smith County Sheriff’s Office believes a body found on in a private pond on McDougle Road in Smith County is that of a woman missing for two years.

“The mother said earlier, that she is glad to have some closure. But obviously she wants to know what happened to her daughter, and we want to know as well,” said Larry Smith, the Smith County sheriff.

Sheriff Larry Smith confirmed a backpack belonging to Courtney Taylor Martin, who was 34 at the time of her disappearance, was found in July, 150 yards away from where her body was found in the pond.

Smith said dive teams found a body in the pond less than after an hour after beginning a search. The remains are being sent to Dallas.

Smith said the dive team had been in Kerr County with flood assistance, which cause a delay in the search.

Smith said it will take a matter of months before results come back, due to the remains being just skeletal.

“Talking to people, interviewing people, going back and looking at historical data from cell phone information. We want to make sure that we dot every I and cross every T, to make sure that if it is a homicide that we get the one that is responsible for it,” said Smith.