Remains found in November of 2017 by hunters in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest have been identified as Veronica Casciato, according to a release by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
“The [search] team found partial skeletal remains in a remote area of Eagle Gap. The remains were sent to the Regional Forensic Center where they were determined to be human,” the release stated. “This week, Agents were notified that the remains were those of Veronica Casciato.”
The release continues to say Veronica’s remains were identified via DNA comparison. The release does not state the condition in which Veronica’s remains were found, or if foul play is a factor in her death. An investigation into her death remains active and ongoing, according to the release.
As Dateline has previously reported, 48-year-old Veronica Casciato was last seen April 6, 2017 leaving the Harrogate campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, where she was working towards a degree in social work. When she missed a scheduled field trip with her class, the instructor called her husband Steve to see if he knew where she was, but he did not.
Concern quickly grew when Veronica didn’t return home that night or the next day, as had been expected. Steve called the campus police department and learned Veronica wasn’t in her dorm room either. Her belongings, including her clothes and computer, were still there.
A few days later, on April 20, Veronica’s Toyota Corolla was found just off Highway 165 in Eagle Gap.
In a post on the Facebook page Friends of Veronica Casciato, loved ones shared their grief and love for Veronica.
“It just feels like loss - like the hole that was already in your life and your heart from V's absence just got bigger because now we know for sure that V won't be coming back. Even now, it seems unfathomable,” the post states. “Veronica was so funny and sweet and unassuming, immensely passionate and talented. She wanted so badly to make the world a better place, but she already did... just by being V.”
“When a loved one goes missing, your greatest hope is that they will be found safe and sound. Your greatest fear is that they will never be found at all. Not knowing is haunting, as many of you know,” the post continued. “While our hopes that Veronica would be returned safely are crushed, we at least know that she has been ‘found’ and can take some measure of comfort in that.”
If you have any information regarding Veronica’s case, please call the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at (615) 744-4000.
