It wasn't the ending a Maine woman's family had been praying for. Police in California have positively identified human remains found in a river as those of a missing woman who was originally from Plymouth, Maine.

Danielle Bertolinia moved to California from Bangor in 2013, in hopes of a fresh start after the death of her infant son. She called her family on a daily basis, so when the calls stopped in 2014, they became concerned and filed a missing persons report.

Bertolini's mother, Billie Jo Dick, is a member of the Deemi Search and Rescue group. So she and some members of the organization flew to California and were met by Bertolini's father, who lives in Oregon. Together they launched a search for the 23-year-old and located an item belonging to the missing woman that led officials to believe Bertolini had been murdered.

Not long after that, the family found out that a woman named Sheila Franks had gone missing in the same area a week earlier. Franks and Bertolini didn't know each other but both women were last seen with the same man.

This week, officials confirmed that a skull found in the Eel River on May 9th was that of Daniele Bertolini. Police continue to investigate the case and Dick says they do have a suspect. However, no arrests have been made in the case.

But for now, it's time for the family to grieve the loss of their beloved Danielle. While it's not the ending they hoped for, at least now they have some closure. Our hearts go out to them.

Remains of missing Fortuna woman positively identified

Posted by Times-Standard on Thursday, May 28, 2015

 

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