Body of woman missing 6 years found in sunken car in New Jersey river

SALEM COUNTY, N.J. — The body of a New Jersey woman, who’s been missing for six years was found Thursday in the wreckage of a vehicle sunken in the Salem River, officials said.

The FBI said Vanessa Smallwood, 46, was last seen at a dry cleaner in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on Jan. 27, 2014, while driving a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country van, NBC News reported.

Divers working to remove debris from the river, saw the “badly mangled” car at the river bottom and realized it contained human remains, the New Jersey State Police said.

The vehicle was removed from the river and Smallwood’s body was taken to the Southern Regional Coroner’s Office for an autopsy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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