Body identified as missing Siloam Springs woman

BENTONVILLE — Authorities believe a pair of bodies found over the weekend are a missing woman and her young daughter, according to a news release.

The Benton County sheriff’s office issued a news release Tuesday that stated it had received confirmation that human remains found Saturday are those of Carol Elaine Davidson, 35, of Siloam Springs.

Positive identification on the second set of remains found Sunday is pending with further testing from the state Crime Laboratory, the release stated. It is highly probable the remains are those of 22- month- old RoseMarry Davidson, the release said.

No other findings of the autopsies will be released, and an investigation is ongoing, the release stated.

Terri Russo, Carol Davidson’s sister, did not return a telephone call seeking comment on Tuesday.

The bodies were found near Lookout Tower Road near Siloam Springs, according to the sheriff’s office. The area is roughly a 1 ½ miles from where searchers found Davidson’s vehicle in November, Benton County Chief Deputy Meyer Gilbert said.

A deer hunter found the first body Saturday evening,

said Sgt. Shannon Jenkins, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

Roughly 50 people searched the area until dark Saturday before returning Sunday morning, Gilbert said.

Davidson and RoseMarry were last seen on Veterans Day at a Siloam Springs recreational park. Davidson’s 1999 Dodge Caravan was found a few days later around Lookout Tower Road, an isolated stretch running through the Lake Wedington section of the Ozark National Forest.

A baby bottle, a diaper bag, a box of keepsakes and documents and clothing for both people were inside, Siloam Springs police said.

Russo in December announced on Facebook a $ 5,500 reward to whoever would bring the pair home before Christmas Day. The family set up a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of raising money for a reward, though as of Tuesday afternoon, the website showed that no contributions had been made.

Russo described Davidson as funny with “a great heart” in a series of Facebook posts after her disappearance.

“This behavior is not like my sister, as she depended on her family on a daily basis, so we know she is in need of help wherever [ Davidson] and the baby are,” Russo wrote Nov. 17.

The sheriff ’ s office requests that anyone with information regarding the deaths call its criminal investigation division at ( 479) 271- 1008.