Missing 20-Year-Old Found Dead After Leaving Home On New Year's Eve: Cops

A 20-year-old Maryland woman who was missing for around a month was found dead, police said Sunday.

Keylin Yolibeth Chavez-Dominguez was reported missing by her family on Jan. 2, after they did not have any contact with her since Dec. 30, 2022. Chavez-Dominguez was reportedly last seen by a witness while leaving her apartment complex in Rockville with a Hispanic male on New Year's Eve, police said.

While searching for Chavez-Dominguez, investigators spoke with many of her family members and friends, but they could not find any new leads, investigators said last week.

Cops eventually discovered the body of Chavez-Dominguez at around 2 p.m. Saturday at Upper Paint Branch Stream Valley Park after they responded to a report of a "suspicious situation," ABC 7 News reported.

The investigators now consider the case as a homicide, while the medical examiner's office is yet to determine the exact cause of the woman's death.

"When officers arrived, they located a female body. Her body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, where an autopsy will be conducted to officially determine the cause and manner of death," Montgomery County police said in a news release Sunday.

Police said they have not taken into custody any suspects in connection with the case, and the investigation is ongoing.

"Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the homicide suspect. Callers may remain anonymous," the news release said.

In a similar incident earlier this month, police found the body of a missing Pennsylvania mother partially buried in a shallow grave. Jennifer Brown, 43, of Limerick Township, was reported missing after she failed to pick up her son from the bus stop on Jan. 4. Brown's body was eventually found partially buried and wrapped in plastic not too far away from her home.

Investigators said they are conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of her death.