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SALT LAKE CITY — One set of remains found near the Utah-Arizona border have been positively identified as a West Jordan woman missing since the beginning of the year.
The Mohave County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday afternoon that the remains of Susan Marie McFalls, 63, were positively identified "by comparing medical records and a medical device located along with the remains."
The other set of remains found with Susan McFalls had not been positively identified as of Thursday, but are believed to be that of McFalls' husband, Jerry David McFalls, 63.
In a video shared on a Facebok page dedicated to finding the couple, family members of the McFalls Tuesday night said the news brought them one step closer to getting closure.
"It gives you a small sense of relief to know that at least we can bring them home and lay them to rest with the family. And they're not going to leave the legacy of being missing people," Jerry McFalls Jr. said.
"They've done a lot of great things in their lives, and the one thing they didn't deserve (is) to go down as just another missing person case. I'm hoping we can celebrate those memories moving forward," Meridee McFalls added.
The McFalls, who owned a second home in Littlefield, Arizona, disappeared on Jan. 11. On that day, the couple texted family members that they would be traveling from Littlefield to West Jordan, according to court documents.
But when deputies went to their Littlefield residence to do a welfare check after the couple failed to arrive in Utah, they found the house unlocked, pickup trucks that looked like they were in the process of being loaded, two dogs inside the house with no food or water, and a purse, wallet and cellphone on the kitchen table, according to a search warrant affidavit.
"I do believe that something happened to get them off their property. They kept to themselves. They weren't people to just wander off …. We wish that we could find out the true cause," Jerry McFalls Jr. said Tuesday.
On Oct. 18, two sets of human remains were found in the Virgin River Gorge area along the Arizona Strip. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Evidence Response Team along with the Mohave County Sheriff's Office did a four-day sweep of the area to collect evidence before publicly announcing the discovery.
According to the sheriff's office, the second set of remains have been sent to the FBI Crime Lab for scientific examination.
Susan McFalls was a diabetic and had issues walking for extended periods of time, according to the warrant. Family members also reiterated that McFalls had degenerative back disease and couldn't walk more than 100 yards in the kind of terrain where her remains were found.
Because of that, family members believe foul play may be involved. In March, a private investigator hired by the family said he believed the McFalls were the victims of homicide.
