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More than 3 years after her disappearance, police identify body of missing Silver Spring woman

Detectives say no foul play is suspected in the disappearance of Brenda Hopkins. She may have suffered from Alzheimer's, they say.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A Silver Spring woman who was reported missing in August 2018 has been confirmed dead by police.

DNA analysis has led detectives from Montgomery County Police Department to identify human remains discovered on April 15 in a wooded area off the highway near Route 29 and New Hampshire Avenue. MCPD says the remains belong to Brenda Lee Hopkins of Silver Spring. 

Police said Hopkins—then 68-years-old—was initially reported missing on Aug. 9, 2018, saying she was last seen by a family member at her home on the 11700 block of Eden Road on Aug. 8. 

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Almost one month after MCPD's initial report that Hopkins was missing, police released an updated statement on Sept. 5, 2018, saying the date Hopkins went missing was not confirmed to be Aug. 8 by investigators. The statement said the information originally came from Hopkins' sister, who lived with her. 

However, detectives received conflicting information from other family members who said Hopkins was last seen July 12, 2018 at a funeral; other family members heard her in the background of a phone conversation on Aug. 1, 2018 with her sister.

MCPD says the investigation was complicated because they could never confirm the exact date of her disappearance. On the first and second anniversary of when Hopkins was reported missing, police continued releasing statements asking the public if they had information about her disappearance. 

An MCPD statement from Aug. 9, 2019, said detectives tried searching with canines around White Oak Shopping Center, where she was known to frequent, located on 11200 New Hampshire Avenue, but at the time their searches were unsuccessful. The White Oak Shopping Center is located off of Route 29, in the area where Hopkins' body is said to have eventually been discovered.

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Investigators tried transferring the case from MCPD's Cold Case, Missing Persons Section to the Major Crimes Division but they didn't uncover any suspicious information about her disappearance. 

Based on information offered from family members, detectives say Hopkins may have suffered from Alzheimer's disease. They found no evidence of foul play in her disappearance.

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