The body of a Coral Springs woman who had been missing for months was found buried in the backyard of a Mississippi home.
Officials with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi say 29-year-old Sarah Willard was last seen at her Coral Springs apartment in October.
Her husband told police she left on the night of Oct. 28, 2019, to travel to Texas and took all of her belongings with her, according to an incident report. They did not speak or have any contact since the 29th, but Willard's husband and her mother tracked her bank account and discovered her last transaction was made on November 1.
The family noted that Willard has the tendency to get up and travel and to meet up with people she met online, but she usually stays in touch during the week or two that she is traveling.
Evidence led several agencies, including the FBI, to a residence in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, where they found her body buried in the backyard on February 14. The owner of the property, Phillip York, was arrested and charged in her murder, police said.
York remains behind bars facing charges including murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, having previously served behind bars for the stabbing of a Virginia woman.
The results of Willard's autopsy are pending.
