Authorities reported this week that the car of a woman who disappeared 23 years ago with her daughter was found in Arkansas with human remains inside. Samantha Jean Hopper’s car was discovered in eight feet of water by the nonprofit organization Adventures With Purpose, dedicated to solving cold cases.
Samantha Jean Hopper was reported missing on September 11, 1998. She was supposed to drop off her daughter, Courtney Holt, in Little Rock before heading to a performance, but neither Samantha, her daughter, nor her blue Ford Tempo were ever located.
The car of a woman who, along with her daughter, disappeared 23 years ago was found this week in Arkansas with human remains inside, authorities say. https://t.co/vRz565ggoD
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 30, 2021
The charity group located the submerged car, and human remains found inside will be submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock for DNA testing.
The Pope County Sheriff’s Office expressed condolences to the families and acknowledged their role in bringing closure to this 23-year-old case. Dezarea Hopper, Samantha’s daughter, stated on a memorial website that her mother was nine months pregnant when she disappeared, and the discovery of their remains was a “relief.”