Human remains found in Shelbyville identified as missing 16-year-old girl

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — More than a week after human remains were discovered in Shelbyville, authorities announced they belonged to a teenage girl who was last seen in June.

The Shelbyville Police Department said a pedestrian came across the remains on July 8 near Old Nashville Dirt Road, which runs north out of Shelbyville.

Then, on Thursday, July 18 , officials reported the remains were positively identified as 16-year-old Maria Lucas Gaspar.

Police posted about Gaspar on July 3 , saying this “missing/runaway juvenile” was last seen around 3 p.m. on June 29 at her home on Bridlewood Drive.

No additional details have been released about Gaspar’s disappearance or the condition of her remains.

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If you had any contact with Gaspar on or after June 29, or if you have any information about this case, you are asked to call Shelbyville Detective Brandi Merlo at 931-684-5811.

“This investigation is ongoing, and any information could be crucial in helping us understand the circumstances surrounding Maria’s disappearance,” the department wrote on Facebook.

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