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Bone Found In SUV Of Ohio Mom Stephanie Van Nguyen And 2 Kids Missing Since 2002

AURORA, Ind. (AP/KDKA) - Anthropologists believe a human bone was found in an SUV that belonged to an Ohio mother missing since 2002 along with her two young children, authorities announced Tuesday.

Side sonar scan technology led divers to the 1997 Nissan Pathfinder near Aurora in southeastern Indiana, Indiana State Police said last week. The vehicle was registered to Stephanie Van Nguyen, who in 2002 disappeared with her 4-year-old daughter, Kristina, and 3-year-old son, John.

Stephanie Van Nguyen suv (1)
(Photo: Indiana State Police)

Van Nguyen, then 26, left a note that she was going to drive into the Ohio River, but her vehicle was not located at the time, police said.

The Indiana State Police say that a bone recovered in the vehicle Monday is believed to be a human bone. It'll be sent to a lab for testing.

Searchers found the vehicle more than 50 feet below the river's surface and about 300 feet from the riverbank. The search was part of an investigation into the family's disappearance that police in Delhi Township reopened about six months ago.

Stephanie Van Nguyen suv
(Photo: Indiana State Police Public Information Office)

Police say the investigation is ongoing.

(TM and © Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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