31-year-old Grand Bay-Westfield woman 'will be deeply missed'
The desperate search for a young Grand Bay-Westfield woman has come to a tragic end.
A body discovered in Martinon over the weekend has been identified as a 31-year-old woman reported missing from the town in February, Saint John police announced in a news release Wednesday.
The release does not name the woman, but Andrea Limkilde, 31, was last seen on Feb. 5 on River Valley Drive — less than a minute drive from the Martinon area.
She was reported missing to the local RCMP on Feb. 9, prompting numerous searches, which involved the RCMP dog and air services, as well as ground search and rescue crews, and hundreds of community volunteers.
An autopsy was conducted to confirm the identification of the body discovered by a hiker in neighbouring Saint John Police Force's jurisdiction on Saturday around 3:30 p.m., said spokesperson Jim Hennessy.
Foul play is not suspected, said Hennessy. The investigation is complete and the cause of death is not being released, he said.
Family members could not immediately be reached for comment, but in an obituary, they announced her "sad passing" with "broken hearts."
"Andrea had a loving heart and would help anyone," it says. "She had a strong religious faith" and "will be deeply missed by everyone."
An older sister, Heather Limkilde, posted a quote on Facebook Wednesday morning.
"As your sister please always remember … I loved you yesterday. I love you still. I always have. I always will."
Her other older sister, Laura Limkilde, posted a photo of the three of them together, surrounded by red and pink hearts.
The family has been very active on social media over the past two months, regularly posting photos of Limkilde and repeatedly pleading for the public's help with the case.
"Someone knows something," her mother, Mary Allen Limkilde, posted on Facebook on March 25.
"We need answers. Our hearts are broken," she wrote.
On March 30, Heather Limkilde urged anyone with information to "reach out."
"Our family needs some peace and closure," she wrote. "We are living a never-ending nightmare in this torture bubble."
Condolences to family, friends
The Saint John Police Force "extends its condolences to the woman's family and friends at this very difficult time," said Hennessy.
RCMP Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh, who is in charge of the detachment in Grand Bay-Westfield, said members' "thoughts go out to the [woman's] family and her friends as well.
"It's certainly not the outcome that anyone was hoping for," she told CBC. "We were certainly hoping to find her" alive.
Earlier in the day, the RCMP had issued a news release, saying the local missing woman had been located deceased, but they did not name her.
The case has had a big impact on the small community, said Rogers-Marsh.
"From the beginning, we had several leads and tips that we followed up on," she said.
Some people created missing person flyers, which were posted throughout Grand Bay-Westfield and Saint John.
And a community-organized search over Easter weekend covered a large area near Blueberry Hill and left the family overwhelmed by the turnout.
"The RCMP would like to thank members of the community, partner agencies and specialized policing services for their assistance during the search for the missing woman," the release said.
Limkilde was last seen at about 2 p.m. at the Scholten's gas station.
Security video later obtained by RCMP showed she used the crosswalk on River Valley Drive between 3:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., and turned onto Station Road.
Police had asked anyone who saw her walking on River Valley Drive, the walking trail, around the Epworth Park area or getting into a vehicle to contact them.
The family asks donations in memory of Limkilde be made to the SPCA Animal Rescue in Saint John or the Sophia Recovery Centre, a non-residential centre providing continuing care for women in recovery from addiction, according to the obituary.
