Human remains found in isolated JBLM area identified as missing Indigenous woman
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Aidan Spear, 21, disappeared from the Tacoma area in 2022.
- Her remains were identified as those found in January at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
- Spear’s remains were discovered in an isolated, wooded area accessible to the public.
Human remains found near Spanaway have been identified as Aidan Spear, a 21-year-old Indigenous woman who went missing in 2022 after she was supposed to meet up with her mother, authorities said Thursday.
The remains were found in January in an isolated, wooded area of Joint Base Lewis-McChord that is accessible to the public, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
“Our condolences go out to Aidan’s family and friends as we navigate the next steps. This discovery opens up new leads and avenues for the joint investigation with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “If you know anything about Aidan’s disappearance in 2022, we encourage you to reach out and speak with a detective.”
Spear’s disappearance in the Tacoma area was profiled by The News Tribune last year in a story on the many Native American families in Pierce County seeking answers about their missing loved ones.
Spear and her mother, Jessica Brown, were supposed to meet Jan. 24, 2022, after Spear, who struggled with substance abuse issues, had agreed to get help, The News Tribune previously reported. Brown had said that Spear conveyed needing to postpone their meeting to say goodbye to someone, and Brown never heard from her again.
It wasn’t uncommon for Spear to go a few weeks without speaking with her family, according to Brown. But about three weeks after their last conversation, Brown panicked when her daughter’s close friend, who usually knew where her daughter was, asked how Spear’s rehabilitation was going. Brown said she filed a missing person’s report soon after, The News Tribune previously reported.
Spear was a “genuinely kind human being” and attentive to her younger sibling, according to her mother, who said Spear’s family was from the Colville and Coeur D’Alene tribes.
Anyone with information about Spear’s disappearance or death can contact the Sheriff’s Office at 253-798-7530.
