Body found north of Marion; no ID yet

MARION, Ind. (WISH) - Noblesville Police Department on Thursday evening confirmed that officers did find human remains in a rural area north of Marion. There is no way to confirm yet, they said, whether the remains belong to a Hamilton County grandmother missing since last summer.

The department announced earlier in the day that the news conference would center on developments in the disappearance of a Hamilton County grandmother Dorothy Heard, 74, who went missing in June . However, during the news conference, they said no identification had been made, and they cannot confirm the remains belong to Heard.

A tip in the case about a week ago, however, is what led officials to search the area again. It is not far from the Mississinewa Reservoir, where officials had searched for Heard before . They began searching last week, then continued this week. The remains were found Thursday morning.

Lt. Bruce Barnes, spokesman for the Noblesville Police Department, said, “We always knew this to be a point of interest. That being said, we do come across humans remains, we think there might be a possibility that there may be a connection.”

The area where the remains were found is mostly woods and farm fields, but during the fall thousands of people do visit the area for the Mississinewa 1812 living history festival and battle re-enactment. Police would not go into specifics regarding when or how the body was left there.

Lt. Bruce Barnes, spokesman for Noblesville Police Department, said the investigation is still ongoing and wide-ranging. Investigators will return to the area early Friday morning. The Grant County coroner's office will be tasked with investigation and identification of the body. 

A few days after Heard’s disappearance, her credit card was used at the Walmart store in Marion, and jewelry that belonged to Heard was pawned in an EZ Pawn in the Grant County city also.

Upon hearing police were searching the area, a few Marion residents came out to see for themselves. Brenda Wolf, Marion, said, “It’s very sad, there are posters around here everywhere, about her, in the gas stations, and there are letters from her grandchildren.”

In Noblesville, signs still line telephone poles, and candles are lit in Heard’s front windows. Signs line her front yard, saying “We love you, We miss you.”

Neighbor Mollie Hiatt said, “It’s hard to know that just two doors down, she just disappeared. It’s hard to accept.”

Donald J. Burns, 47, who was believed to be related to Heard, was arrested in July after police said he fled when they tried to ask him questions about the case. He's been held since then on probation violation charges. He has twice been convicted of child molesting, and in the offender registry is called a "sexually violent predator."

Burns is still considered a person of interest in the case, Barnes said, but he would not elaborate.

Tips previously led police to search various areas, including a lake and camp in Arcadia in Hamilton County, a reservoir in Wabash County.

Family members of Heard’s tell 24-Hour News 8 they take every finding with a grain of salt after hearing leads and being disappointed in the past, but say they’re hopeful this is Dorothy.