Olivia Fowler (inset, via missing person poster) confirmed dead on Aug. 22, eight months after human remains were discovered in Meriwether County (Fox 5 screengrab)
Federal and local law enforcement announced Tuesday that DNA testing of human remains discovered in December 2022 has confirmed that a 27-year-old mother of three last seen alive two summers ago is deceased.
Olivia Samantha Fowler was last seen alive around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2021 by a Georgia Department of Natural Resources ranger who recognized her. Fowler was walking in rural Meriwether County, Georgia on Pebblebrook Road, wearing flip-flops, a tie-dye shirt, and shorts.
"Her personal belongings were left behind," the FBI said in a since-archived missing person alert.
Fowler's family reported her missing the day after she was last seen, and both the Meriwether County Sheriff's Office and the FBI have been working the missing person's investigation since.
Dec. 16, 2022 proved to be a pivotal moment in the investigation.
"There is still evidence to be analyzed and processed," the FBI said Tuesday. "FBI Atlanta's Columbus Resident Agency continues to work in support of Meriwether County to bring this case to a conclusion and provide answers to the Fowler family."
Meriwether County Sheriff Chuck Smith recounted how a tip led authorities to the rural area and human remains since confirmed by DNA testing to belong to Fowler.
"Once our personnel arrived in the area and began a search, they were able to locate human remains based on the tip provided. We were assisted by the GBI Crime Scene Unit in the recovery and the processing of the scene," Smith said. "The remains were then sent to the GBI Crime Lab. Our personnel who have been assisted by the FBI Columbus Resident Agency early on in a missing person case investigation worked in concert with us to expedite the identification of these remains."
The sheriff also indicated the investigation is far from over.
"This case will now be classified from a missing person case to a death investigation. There is still much evidence to be analyzed and processed," he added.
In closing, Sheriff Smith shared a message from Fowler's family, asking for support and the space to mourn her loss.
"The family request that they be allowed to properly grieve this recent news and to be supportive of them during this difficult time," the sheriff said. "The family would like the public to know that Olivia was not only a mother, but a daughter, a sister, a grandchild, and an important member of the Fowler family. This is a difficult time for them now and going forward. Please be respectful of their request."
Fowler's aunt Tamara McCoy had said that Fowler's sudden disappearance was "hell" on the family.
The family and friends marked a challenging and painful year since she was seen gathering over the weekend.
"It's just … not knowing where she's at, not knowing if she's still with us, not knowing if she's in another county, going through things and you know, not knowing if she even knows where's she's at," she told Fox 5 Atlanta just over one year ago. "And just the not knowing and waking up in the middle of the night to messages and rumors and waking up in a panic because you have a dream and you just … your imagination takes you places you'd never imagine you would go."
The latest update from law enforcement did not include any information about a suspected cause of death.
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