FBI Identify Remains Found At Catoctin Mountain Park As 21-Year-Old Joanna Michelle Amaya
THURMONT, Md. (WJZ) — Investigators have identified the human remains found off of a trail in Frederick County but they are still trying to piece together what happened.
The FBI said a portion of the body was last month at Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont has been identified as 21-year-old Joanna Michelle Amaya also known as Dior Reyes.
“At this point, we’re trying to figure out what happened to her,” said Joy Jiras, FBI Baltimore.
Police said hikers found her foot off the trail and called for help. When the FBI arrived, they found her body nearby but a foot and hand were missing.
They also found a handbag, shoes and a set of keys. They said she was wearing a black tracksuit, wrist guard and red Nike shoes.
‘We’re still looking at all options whether it’s foul play if there’s somebody else involved, whether she was hiking and got lost,” said Jiras.
Officials are calling the case suspicious after no cars were left in the parking lot. They said Amaya’s last known contact with family members was in the fall of last year. They believe her body was at the park for at least a month.
The state of her remains is now posing a challenge for the medical examiner to determine what happened.
“If they have clues no matter how small they might be, they are important clues to us,” Jiras added.
Officials said that a missing persons report was filed but they still are missing some major pieces to the puzzle.
An investigation is ongoing, and the FBI asks that anyone with information in her death contact them at 1-800-CALL-FBI or by contacting the Baltimore Field Office at 410-265-8080.
JOANNA MICHELLE AMAYA — FBI
Deceased Individual
Thurmont, Maryland
June 12, 2021
Details:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Baltimore Field Office is seeking information about the death of 21-year-old Joanna Michelle Amaya, aka Dior Reyes, of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Amaya’s body was recovered from Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont, Maryland, on Saturday, June 12, 2021. Law Enforcement Agencies responded to the National Park after a portion of her body was discovered by hikers off the trail in the park. Through collaborative investigative efforts, and working with the Baltimore Medical Examiner’s Office, the remains were determined to be those of Amaya. At this point, the cause of death has yet to be determined.
At the time of her discovery, she was wearing a black track suit, wrist guard, and red Nike shoes. She was also found with a Puma handbag and a set of keys containing an El Salvador keychain.
Dead woman found in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park identified
A dismembered dead woman whose remains were found in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park has been identified, authorities said Thursday.
A dismembered dead woman whose remains were found in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park has been identified, authorities said Thursday, but they still don’t know how she died or the circumstances of her disappearance.
The FBI said Joanna Michelle Amaya, aka Dior Reyes, 21, of Gaithersburg, was recovered from the park in Thurmont on June 12.
The agency said that “a portion of her body was discovered by hikers off the trail in the park.”
The cause of death has yet to be determined.
As WTOP previously reported, she was wearing a black track suit, a wrist guard and red Nike shoes. She was found with a Puma handbag and a set of keys with an El Salvador keychain.
Authorities are urging people who think they may know who the woman is, or if they have information about a missing person in the last six months, to call the FBI’s free tip-line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this story.