Human remains found in Cowlitz County belong to woman who went missing in 2024
The human remains found in the Rose Valley area of Cowlitz County over the weekend belong to missing woman Hailey E. Athay, the Cowlitz County Coroner's Office confirmed Tuesday.
Athay, 33, was last seen in Kelso in November 2024. She was reported missing in January 2025. Her cause and manner of death are under investigation, according to the Cowlitz County Coroner's Office.
"This is an open investigation; no other information will be released by this office at this time," the coroner's office stated.
Athay was going mushroom hunting with a friend in the Rose Valley area shortly before she disappeared, according to her family.
In an interview with The Daily News in March 2025, Athay's mother, Nicole Brooks, said that she suspected foul play.
According to Brooks, Athay struggled with addiction and mental health issues and had fallen off her loved ones' radars before, but her most-recent disappearance was notably different.
Brooks told The Daily News that Athay had been sighted at a South Kelso store and the Lexington Chevron around Thanksgiving, but no one has been able to reach her since.
For over a year, the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office's efforts to locate Athay were unsuccessful.
On Sunday, April 12, two "young men" reportedly discovered skeletal remains in a wooded area in Rose Valley and notified the Cowlitz County Coroner's Office. Upon investigation, the remains were confirmed to be human, according to a news release from the coroner's office.
On Monday, April 13, the coroner's office coordinated with the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office and multiple search and rescue teams to conduct an organized search of the area for additional remains. The search was completed by the end of the day, the coroner's office said in a news release.
On Tuesday, April 14, the coroner's office positively identified the remains through dental records as belonging to Athay.
The coroner's office thanked the two young men who found Athay's remains, as well as the personnel who "assisted in the recovery efforts, helping to bring Ms. Athay home to her family."
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