On August 11, 2022, the Harlan County Coroners office was notified of Skeletal remains being found in a wooded area off of Hwy 1137 in the Cawood community. Those remains were sent to State Medical Examiners Office in Frankfort for an autopsy and positive identification.
After a lengthy investigation Coroner John Derrick Noe was notified by the Medical Examiner that the remains have been positively identified through dental records as Lisa Estep, 60 of Corbin, Ky. She had recently been reported missing several weeks prior to the discovery of her remains.
Coroner Noe also reports due to the condition of the skeletal remains, the cause and manner of death has been ruled undetermined.
Coroner Noe has been working on this case since taking Office in January and is now glad to be able to return Ms Estep to her family for proper burial and remembering her life in the days to come.
Special thanks to Kentucky State Police, First Responders and all those who helped locate her.