NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — Authorities are working to learn the identity of skeletal remains found in Covington.
The remains were found off Henderson Mill Road on Nov. 11 around 5:30 p.m., according to the Newton County Sheriff's Office. They have since been handed over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy, adding they are actively investigating the case.
The skeletal remains were found about 15 minutes away from where Covington Police Department investigators have launched a missing person's case. Officers are searching for 64-year-old Debra Ashby, who was reported missing earlier this month.
Investigators did not confirm if the remains belonged to Ashby. The autopsy results will determine the identity.
Debra Ashby's disappearance
The last time anyone saw or talked to Ashby was Oct. 29.
Her daughter-in-law Heather Collette filed a missing person’s report after her son, Quincy, tried to check on her on Nov. 1.
“Her purse is missing, her medicine is missing, her phone, of course,” Collette previously said to 11Alive's Hope Ford.
Ashby's boyfriend was the last person to see her. A detective said the boyfriend was arrested in April for domestic violence against Ashby. Her boyfriend is currently in the Newton County Jail. Police arrested him one week after Ashby went missing, for violating the restraining order she had against him.
Ashby was last seen wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans and a bandana-style head wrap. She’s described by police as a Black woman who is 5-feet-3-inches tall, weighing around 112 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on Ashby's disappearance should call the Covington Police Department at 770-786-7605.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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