AMHERST COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — The body of Elsie Wiggington, a Virginia mother missing since June 2023, has been found, according to the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office.

On Wednesday, officers responded to Elsie’s home on Pendleton Drive. WSET was on scene and saw several units there, although our team was denied access to the home.

RELATED:Police operation at Elsie Wiggington’s house in Amherst County

The police presence marked the second time in recent memory that officers have searched the site for any sign of Elsie, who has been missing since June 2023. Just a few weeks ago, in July of this year, the sheriff’s office searched an area of ​​the property for evidence. During that hours-long operation, Sheriff Jimmy Ayers had told ABC13 that he did not believe Elsie was still alive.

Those fears were confirmed on August 14, when Ayers announced in a press conference that a body had been found on the property. Ayers said all signs pointed to the body being Elsie’s, but they were still waiting for confirmation of the identity.

Around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Ayers said the sheriff’s office executed a search warrant on the property of Elsie’s home on Pendleton Drive.

“During a search of the property, human remains were found,” Ayers said. “All indications suggest that the remains are those of Elsie May Wiggington.”

She was 45 years old.

“We are waiting for DNA confirmation from the Roanoke coroner’s office to confirm that identity,” Ayers said.

He also said her husband, Fred Wiggington, was arrested. He is being held without bail and is accused of concealing a human corpse. According to the sheriff, her body was found on the property, but not in the house itself.

Ayers said he wanted to inform the public that his office has been working diligently on the case since it was notified. ABC13 has reported that Elsie’s family reported her missing multiple times last year under the old Amherst County Sheriff’s administration. The family said nothing happened. Although he did not speak for the previous sheriff’s administration, Ayers said this was a top priority for his administration.

“The community needs to know that when our department learned that Mrs. Wiggington was missing last year, we immediately launched an active investigation,” Ayers said at the press conference. “The search for Elsie has taken many, many man-hours.”

He thanked the law enforcement officials gathered with him at the press conference and those still actively working on the ground for their role in helping to move the case forward.

Ayers said the investigation is ongoing and more charges could follow. When asked if murder charges could be expected against Wiggington, Ayers again said more charges could follow.

He stressed the enormity of the case and how officials were working to piece together the elements of the case before reiterating the importance of the case.

“As I told the family, Elsie was my biggest concern,” he said. “And today I feel like we’ve gotten some justice for her by finding her.”

Ayers spoke about one reason why the case was so important to him.

“It could be my family, it could be your family,” he said. “But at the end of the day, she was a human being who didn’t deserve what happened to her. That’s why I’m upset.”

WSET will continue to report on the developing nature of this story.