Woman Found Dead in Oklahoma Linked to Missing Arkansas Woman

KANSAS, Okla. (AP) — Authorities say a woman’s body was found in northeastern Oklahoma near the vehicle and personal items that belonged to an 82-year-old woman who had been reported missing in Arkansas.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says the woman’s body was discovered Monday morning in rural Delaware County about 70 miles (110 kilometers) east of Tulsa. Investigators had been searching the area after a purse belonging to Ava Theresa Moore of Springdale was found nearby.

Moore was reported missing from her home on Oct. 20, authorities said. Her purse and vehicle were discovered Sunday near the northeast Oklahoma town of Kansas. That area is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Springdale.

The body found Monday will be sent to the Oklahoma medical examiner’s office for positive identification and to determine a cause of death, authorities said.