MCALESTER, Okla. — The Holly Cantrell case is one step closer to being solved.
After three years, the Pittsburg Sheriffs Office revealed new information about their ongoing investigation.
“They confirmed that the remains were located near Cardinal Point," Sheriff Morris said. "The remains of Holly Cantrell.”
Cantrell was last seen on surveillance video in 2017 leaving for her lunch break from her job at McAlester Regional Health Clinic.
Her family says she was five months pregnant, and a hunter found Cantrell’s purse a month after she was reported missing.
In 2018, the sheriffs department received a tip, and investigators found remains they believed to be connected to Cantrell.
“We received a call about some human remains, possibly human remains near lake Eufaula in the Cardinal Point Recreation Area," Sheriff Morris said. "We responded, we got a search party.”
The remains were sent to the National DNA Database for Missing and Unidentified Persons for testing.
“Medical examiners went in to recover the remains," Sheriff Morris said. "The medical examiner took those back to Oklahoma City and sent them to a lab in Texas to do DNA analysis.
Now, with the match confirmed, the case has become a homicide investigation, but now detectives are searching for a killer.
“I am going to get with detective Rogers to brief me on all the details," Sheriff Morris said. "At this point, right now, we don’t know. They have been very busy. We plan to meet sometime this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning to get caught up on the case and where they are at.”
The investigation is ongoing. The sheriff says he is doing everything he can to seek justice for the family.
“I know they have been patient, and I know it’s frustrating for them but we have no control," Sheriff Morris said. "The DNA, once it’s sent to the medical examiners office, whoever has this analysis done, we have no control over that.”
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