FENTON, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
Grobe's granddaughter, Dana Grobe, who lives in Hillsboro, tells Fox 2 she has mixed emotions about the news. Friday, as the Grobe family tried to cope with this latest development, some were critical of how the Butler County Sheriff's Department has handled the case- some family members saying the sheriff's office never even notified them directly about Mary Lee's remains.
"It's really difficult because at this point you have to give up hope," said a tearful Dana.
Dana had been holding onto hope that somehow her grandmother missing since September of 2003 was still alive. Now, that hope is gone. Dana organized a vigil and handed out fliers to try and find Mary Lee.
Grobe disappeared from her home outside Poplar Bluff- her medications, glasses and purse all left behind. What's so disturbing to Dana and other family members now is where the skeletal remains were found- cops say they were discovered just about 400 yards from Mary Lee's home. And that's not all, the remains were discovered only 50 to 75 feet from a lagoon which law officers searched in May of 2005.
"It's sad to think that she could have been out there for all this time underneath and people not know that she was there," said Dana.
The remains were found on a property right very close to Grobe's by an ATV rider. We're told clothing and personal items including dentures lead investigators to believe the remains are Grobe's.
The Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs says the case is being handled as a homicide but the remains are being sent to the FBI lab in Quantico to find out more information.
"With regard to where the investigation goes from here, a lot of that will be determined as far as what we find out at the lab," said Dobbs. Dana still has more questions than answers.
"I don't think that you find the peace in this that you think you're going to find," she said.
Dana tells Fox 2 the remains were found on her 40th birthday. Sheriff Dobbs says his office contacted a public administrator in charge of Mary Lee's estate about her remains.
We're told there were no obvious signs of trauma on what was found and that it could months before any results come back from the FBI lab.
"It's really difficult because at this point you have to give up hope," said a tearful Dana.
Dana had been holding onto hope that somehow her grandmother missing since September of 2003 was still alive. Now, that hope is gone. Dana organized a vigil and handed out fliers to try and find Mary Lee.
Grobe disappeared from her home outside Poplar Bluff- her medications, glasses and purse all left behind. What's so disturbing to Dana and other family members now is where the skeletal remains were found- cops say they were discovered just about 400 yards from Mary Lee's home. And that's not all, the remains were discovered only 50 to 75 feet from a lagoon which law officers searched in May of 2005.
"It's sad to think that she could have been out there for all this time underneath and people not know that she was there," said Dana.
The remains were found on a property right very close to Grobe's by an ATV rider. We're told clothing and personal items including dentures lead investigators to believe the remains are Grobe's.
The Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs says the case is being handled as a homicide but the remains are being sent to the FBI lab in Quantico to find out more information.
"With regard to where the investigation goes from here, a lot of that will be determined as far as what we find out at the lab," said Dobbs. Dana still has more questions than answers.
"I don't think that you find the peace in this that you think you're going to find," she said.
Dana tells Fox 2 the remains were found on her 40th birthday. Sheriff Dobbs says his office contacted a public administrator in charge of Mary Lee's estate about her remains.
We're told there were no obvious signs of trauma on what was found and that it could months before any results come back from the FBI lab.
