Human remains believed to be Smith County woman missing since 2023

SMITH COUNTY — Our news partners at KETK report that human remains found in Smith County on Tuesday morning are believed to be those of a woman who went missing over two years ago. According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, a Texas DPS dive team began searching for human remains at around 8:30 a.m. near a pond on 10068 County Road 42 near McDougle Road in New Harmony, the western part of Smith County, after a person found a backpack belonging to a missing person, Courtney Taylor Martin. The sheriff’s office said two young men found her backpack next to the pond on July 3. However, law enforcement had to postpone the search of the pond due to the Kerr County flooding. The human remains that were found will be taken to a forensic institution in Dallas.

On May 16, 2023, Martin called her mom, saying she was at the intersection of County Road 42 and Highway 110 North and needed a ride. Martin’s mom immediately drove to the location, which was only 1.4 miles away from her home, but when she arrived only minutes later, Martin was gone. Officials said it took the family around two weeks to report Martin as a missing person.

Photos courtesy of Smith County Sheriff’s Office

The sheriff’s office said that limited information will be released at this time, as this could be a homicide investigation.