Following an autopsy performed Monday, police in Monroe County have established the identity of a woman whose remains were found last week in a wooded area next to Park Avenue/Interstate 80 eastbound in Stroudsburg.

Officials said the victim is Dana Kristine Smithers of Stroudsburg, who was reported missing last June 4 to the Stroud Area Regional Police. The results of the autopsy are pending further testing and the cause and manner of death are currently undetermined, police said.

Officials said police were dispatched on Thursday at about 11:22 a.m. to the scene, after a report a Stroudsburg borough employee had discovered what was believed to be a human remains. Police said decomposed human remains were recovered from the wooded area and turned over to the county coroner’s office.

At the time, due to extensive decomposition, the gender of the deceased had not been determined until Monday’s autopsy.

In a previous news release, police said Smithers, 45 at the time, was last seen on May 28, 2022. A video camera verified her leaving the residence of a friend with her cellphone in hand. Smithers’ cellphone, wallet and daily medication were found at her residence.

A family member reported the woman never stayed away from her young daughter for this length of time. The investigation remains open. Police said the immediate family of the victim is “requesting privacy during this difficult time as they grieve the loss of a loved one.”

In a statement, the Stroud department thanked the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, the Pennsylvania State Police Forensic Science Unit, the Monroe County Coroner’s Office and the Stroudsburg Fire Department for their assistance with this incident.

Anyone with any information on this missing person/ death investigation is asked to contact Detective Robert Transue at rtransue@sarpd.com or by calling 570-421-6800-ext. 1027.