The Kentucky medical examiner's office identified a jawbone Friday as part of the remains of Sgt. Laura Cecere, a former Hamilton resident who has been missing for almost eight months.
"Our gears had been turned toward missing persons," said Officer Michael Blevins of the Oak Grove, Ky., Police Department. "Now they're turning toward a murder investigation."
Sgt. Cecere, 25, an instructor at Sabalauski Air Assault School, grew up in Hamilton.
She was last seen Dec. 6 as she was leaving Fort Campbell. She was reported missing Dec. 9.
The jawbone was in a plastic container in a package delivered to WKAG-TV in Hopkinsville, Ky., on July 29. The container had "Cesere" written on it. The package bore a Bowling Green, Ky., postmark. A week before that, Oak Grove police and the TV station received identical letters saying Sgt. Cecere's body was in Liberty Branch Creek in Gallatin, Tenn., about 50 miles east of Fort Campbell. Searchers found no body.
"This case is really bizarre," said Officer Blevins. "In my 10 years in law enforcement, I've never seen anything like this."
