Alexis Gabe, who police believe was killed by her ex-boyfriend Marshall Jones, was first reported missing in January, prompting searches by law enforcement, family and the community. After more than nine months, a visitor from Alaska using a metal detector along Jackson Road near Plymouth, a city 40 miles east of Sacramento, encountered what he thought were human remains Thursday and alerted officials, Det. Tyler Horn with the Oakley Police Department said at a news conference. The scene was immediately secured and officials thoroughly searched the area Friday, locating human remains just off Jackson Road. A forensic dentist identified Gabe’s remains, the police department said in a Friday news release.
“When Detective Horne called me asking for our dentist’s phone number, I knew something was up,” Gabe’s father, Gwin Gabe, said at the press conference. “They came to our house on Friday night to tell us about their discovery. While we prayed that we would find Alexis and put her to rest, the reality was still devastating. Our hearts were broken even more than we thought possible.” Also found in the area where Gabe’s remains were discovered were earrings, duct tape and trash bag debris. “The earrings found were determined to belong to Alexis based on photographs of her wearing them,” Horn said. Horn said the condition of the remains does not indicate a cause of death. Although no other remains have been found near those along Highway 16, Horne said investigators are “certain that her remains were separated from each other and scattered across multiple areas.” The Oakley Police Department said in a news release Friday that all of her remains were never found. Gabe was reported missing on Jan. 27 after he did not return home from a visit to Jones’ home in Antioch. Gabe’s family began searching for her and found her vehicle with the keys in the ignition parked at Trenton and Carrington in Oakley. They found it suspicious and notified the police department, which immediately launched an investigation. Suspicion quickly fell on Jones, 27, who left California for Washington state after Gabe disappeared. In June, Jones was killed by federal officers who tried to serve an arrest warrant on him in Kent, Washington. “The purpose of this news conference is to focus on Alexis and her memory and try to bring some closure for those affected by her disappearance,” Oakley Police Chief Paul Byrd said at the news conference Monday. “I am fully aware that there are questions and frustrations involving other people in this case.” The Associated Press contributed to this story.