Family members said they were searching for a missing 31-year-old woman.
JACKSON, Tennessee — Police in Jackson have opened a suspected homicide investigation after remains were found in the crawl space beneath a north Jackson home during a search connected to a missing woman, authorities said. The remains were sent to Nashville for a forensic autopsy as investigators work to confirm identity and cause of death.
The case began as a missing person report and quickly turned into a death investigation with limited public details. Police said 31-year-old Mirna Ortez Moncada was reported missing on Feb. 16, and the department’s Special Victims Unit was assigned to investigate. On Saturday, officers went to a home on Raintree Cove after being contacted by Moncada’s family and found the remains beneath the residence, police said.
Police said the missing person report was filed Feb. 16 after Moncada’s family contacted the Jackson Police Department. Investigators from the Special Victims Unit took over the case, officials said, and spent the next several days working to locate her and develop information about where she might be. On Saturday, Feb. 21, officers responded to a residence on Raintree Cove in north Jackson after the family reached out to police, authorities said. During a search of the property, officers found remains in the crawl space under the house. The department said the family has tentatively identified the remains as Moncada, but formal identification was still pending. In a statement, the department described the inquiry as an “active” investigation.
Authorities said the remains were transported to Nashville for a forensic autopsy to confirm identity and determine the cause of death. Police have not publicly said how long the remains may have been under the home, what injuries were observed, or whether any items were collected as evidence. Officials also have not released the name of the person who owns or lives at the Raintree Cove residence, beyond saying it belongs to an acquaintance of Moncada. Investigators said they are treating the case as a suspected homicide, but no arrests were announced and no suspects were identified. Police said they were withholding additional details to “protect the integrity” of the investigation.
Raintree Cove is in north Jackson, a city in Madison County between Memphis and Nashville. The decision to send the remains to Nashville points to the role of specialized forensic examination, including formal identification procedures and medical findings that can establish how a person died. Police described the family’s identification as tentative, which can happen when investigators are waiting on scientific confirmation such as fingerprints, dental records, or other methods. The department said the autopsy is expected to address both identity and cause of death, two steps that often shape what charges may be considered and when, particularly in cases that began as missing person reports and later became death investigations.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing and that they are not releasing information about the scene, possible suspects, or investigative leads at this stage. Authorities asked anyone with information related to the case to contact the Jackson Police Department at 731-425-8400 or Crime Stoppers at 731-424-8477. Police have not said whether they believe others were involved, whether the case is connected to any earlier reports, or whether there are specific vehicles or locations they are seeking information about. Officials have not announced any scheduled news briefing, court filing, or timeline for when the autopsy findings might be released. Investigators said the case is being handled as a suspected homicide while they wait for forensic results.
The department’s statement left many questions unanswered, including where Moncada was last seen and what led the family and investigators to focus on the Raintree Cove address. Police did not say whether search warrants were used or whether the search was conducted with consent. They also did not describe the condition of the crawl space or how the remains were discovered. Attempts to reach relatives for comment were not immediately successful, and police have not identified a spokesperson for the family. For now, officials said the investigation is continuing while they await confirmation from the forensic autopsy in Nashville.
Police said formal identification is pending and that investigators will rely on the autopsy to confirm who was found and how the person died. The next milestone will be the completion of the forensic examination, which authorities said will determine identity and cause of death.
Author note: Last updated February 24, 2026.