A Washington family is trying to find a sense of closure after the discovery of a missing loved one. Hailey Athay was last seen by her family around Thanksgiving 2024, when she reportedly went into the woods with a friend possibly looking for mushrooms. The mom of three had dealt with addiction and often didn’t stay in any place for long, but her family was always able to find her. She was officially declared missing in January 2025. Now, 15 months after relatives reported her missing, the woman’s remains have been found. Of course, it is not the outcome anyone would want, but at least they can now lay her to rest.
It was an unexpected discovery.
Residents of Cowlitz County came across clothing and two bones while hiking on April 12, 2026, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release. The hikers notified authorities about the find, and a photo of the bones was sent to a forensic anthropologist, who identified them as human bones.
Detectives tried to get to the bones that night, but because of their location and the time of day, they couldn’t. So on April 13, Detective James Hanberry worked with the Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office and Cowlitz County Search and Rescue to organize a search of the area. The search party was led by one of the men who initially made the discovery.
“Nearly complete skeletal remains were located as well as multiple items of clothing and personal belongings,” the news release read.
The remains were quickly confirmed to belong to Hailey Athay.
On April 14, the county coroner’s office used dental records to confirm the remains were Athay’s, KGW8 reported.
“The Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office extends its sincere appreciation to the two young men that originally located the remains and notified us, along with the sheriff’s office and all search and rescue personnel who assisted in the recovery efforts, helping to bring Ms. Athay home to her family,” Coroner Dana Tucker shared in a statement obtained by KGW8.
According to the sheriff’s office, Athay’s remains were found in the middle of an area that had been identified “as an area of interest” in her disappearance.
“Prior searches had been conducted near this area, but no evidence had been recovered,” the sheriff’s office’s release read. “The exact location will not be released at this time as this remains an active investigation pending cause and manner of death.”
The whole thing is sad, but at least the family has closure.
“It’s not that it was unexpected that this would be the outcome, but it certainly isn’t what we wanted in our hearts,” Athay’s mother, Nicole Brooks, told KPTV. “It was a nightmare. It was just a nightmare. You don’t know, and you hold out hope—and the longer it goes, the harder it is.”
Brooks is now holding on to the memories of her beloved daughter. “I can hear her—‘Hi, Mama’—and it just breaks my heart that I won’t hear that again,” she told KPTV. Athay leaves behind three daughters who have been in the care of family for an unspecified amount of time.
“In her heart, she loved, and she loved fiercely,” Brooks said of her free-spirited daughter. “She was loyal. She was kind and compassionate.”
A GoFundMe account created to fund a search for Athay has now been turned into fundraising for her funeral, with any remaining funds going to her daughters.
“After nearly a year and a half that can only be described as an unrelenting nightmare, Hailey has been found,” the page reads. “While this discovery brings a sense of closure to the agonizing search that began after she was last seen on Thanksgiving Day in 2024, it marks the beginning of a new journey toward peace and clarity.”
