MERIWETHER COUNTY, Ga. — A missing person's case out of Meriwether County is now a death investigation, according to authorities.
Two years after a Meriwether County mother of three was first reported missing, investigators on Tuesday announced that they've identified her remains.
Olivia Samantha Fowler seemingly vanished on Aug. 14, 2021. She was 26 years old. According to the missing person's report filed with the Meriwether County Sheriff's Office, she had been seen the day prior.
Human remains found on Dec. 16, 2022, along a rural portion of Meriwether County have been confirmed to be Fowler, the sheriff said. Authorities delivered the news to Fowler's family Monday, saying DNA testing led to the breakthrough.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation crime lab in Quantico, Virginia assisted in identifying the remains, Sheriff Chuck Smith said.
"There is still evidence to be analyzed and processed," Smith said in a prepared statement. "This case will now be classified from a missing person case to a death investigation."
Fowler's family had launched a social media campaign #bringoliviahome to help find her more than two years ago in an effort to help collect tips. Despite their public search, they're asking for the utmost privacy in the wake of this tragic news.
"The family request that they be allowed to properly grieve this recent news and to be supportive of them during this difficult time," the sheriff's statement said. "The family would like the public to know that Olivia was not only a mother, but a daughter, a sister, a grandchild, and an important member of the Fowler family."
The mother of three missed her youngest child's first birthday and their first steps. She also missed her beloved grandmother's funeral.
Her family said that she would have tried to be part of any and every milestone.
"Olivia loves family - loves, loves, loves her family," her aunt Tamara McCoy previously told 11Alive in 2021. "She's a great mother with the biggest heart."
McCoy said that her niece was reported missing after seeing a man she was dating.
Even two years later, investigators have not named a suspect in connection with Fowler's disappearance or death.
Anyone that has any information related to Fowler is asked to contact the Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 672-6651, main office number (706) 672-4489 or the FBI tip line at 770-216-3000.