Tests confirm human remains found in a wooded area in Edgewater in early August match the DNA profile of missing 18-year-old Ashlyn Bowman, police said Thursday.

  • Human remains found Aug. 9
  • Cops say DNA matches that of Ashlyn Bowman

Bowman had been missing since June 21. She was last seen in Rotary Park.

The search for her was suspended in late July. But a worker clearing land off Pullman Road found the human remains Aug. 9. The remains were found in an industrial area near Rotary Park.

A preliminary examination of the body determined that it had not been dismembered or burned, as originally reported to investigators, police said.

The investigation is open and pending the results of a pathologist’s report.

Classmate Adam Cheesebro says he and his brother were always keeping an eye out looking to see if Bowman would turn up.

“It was very heartbreaking. The fact that it was somebody in our community, it felt very unreal, it was something that, it was like a movie,” said Cheesebro.

“She was just out by herself and someone did this to her. And it could happen to anyone,” said classmate Nadia Midgett.

Bowman lived with her grandparents. They say the realization is painful, but it gives them closure. However, there are still too many unanswered questions, chief among them, how she died.

“Once we get a determination from the medical examiner as to the cause of death, then the investigation will progress forward from there,” said Edgewater Police Chief Dave Arcieri.