Human remains found in Malheur County identified as missing Idaho woman

Jashayla Pettigrew
·2 min read
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Human remains found in Eastern Oregon have been identified as an Idaho woman who was reported missing about 10 months ago.

On Wednesday, the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office announced the human remains belong to 27-year-old Boise resident Gwendolyn Brunelle.

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The Boise Police Department said the woman was last seen at a gas station and convenience store in Jordan Valley, Ore., on June 27. She left her home the previous day and planned to drive to Fresno, Calif.

MCSO joined the missing persons case later on June 30, before locating a vehicle at Highway 95 and Succor Creek Road that was registered under Brunelle’s name.

With assistance from Oregon and Idaho officials and agencies, the county’s Search and Rescue team used “cadaver dogs, drones, fixed wing aircrafts, helicopters, horses, UTV’s and ground searchers” to find her in the nearby area.

The search was suspended after multiple efforts to locate Brunelle failed.

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According to officials, her family later hired a private drone operator who recorded the search area — some of which hadn’t been checked by ground searchers.

The footage was reviewed by Aloft Drone Search. On Apr. 8, the nonprofit organization sent the Sheriff’s Office photos and coordinates of what it believed to be human remains.

Malheur County deputies responded to the area, which was about two miles away from where the woman’s vehicle was found.

And on Apr. 29, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as Brunelle’s through dental records.

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“The Malheur County Sheriff’s Office offers condolences and gratitude to the Brunelle family,” Sheriff Travis Johnson said in a statement. “They are good-natured people and great to work with. We know this has been, and continues to be a very difficult time for this family. MCSO would like to sincerely thank all of the volunteers who helped in this search effort.”

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