MARCH, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) – The human remains of an Arizona woman who disappeared nearly two years ago have been found.

Investigators say a skull was found in the New River area last Wednesday and has since been positively identified as missing person JoAnn Dudek.

“We woke up to the news that his remains had been located and identified,” said Erin Murtha, Dudek’s niece.

For two years, Murtha has been fighting tirelessly to find answers to his aunt’s case.

Dudek disappeared from his home in the Anthem area on November 13, 2022.

The case quickly turned into a murder investigation with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, but developments went cold with no hard evidence in the house and no sign of Dudek.

“Half of my heart is heartbroken and the other half is happy to say that this is no longer a murder with no one involved,” Murtha said.

Details on how the remains were found and where that scene is are still limited.

“We don’t know exactly where they were found and by whom,” Murtha said.

According to Murtha, his extended family believes Dudek died during a violent argument at his home in 2022.

His family shared the last text message Dudek sent to his sister at 6:23 p.m. that November night.

The last message ended with a heart emoji and “Love, Jo” as she planned a holiday trip to New York.

Subsequent messages showed family members expressing concern and concern when he suddenly stopped responding.

“My hope in sharing these text messages is to show that what happened to JoAnn was not done by her own will. It was done to her,” Murtha said.

Three people other than Dudek lived in the home, and her husband died months after she disappeared due to a seizure and brain damage.

The other two living there at the time were Dudek’s adopted daughter and her boyfriend.

Murtha said the rest of the family stopped communicating with them.

“We hope that now with the location of these remains, what happened that night and who did this to him will come to light,” Murtha said. “It’s crazy that the day before this, as we were getting ready to mourn our second anniversary, we had no answers, and now the biggest answer has emerged.”

Murtha said they still don’t know the cause of her aunt’s death, but they hope to find out from the medical examiner in the coming days or weeks.

He said that they will now bring Dudek home and put him to bed with his family, but they are determined to get justice for him.

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