Dead woman found in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park identified

Joanna Michelle Amaya

A dismembered dead woman whose remains were found in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park has been identified, authorities said Thursday, but they still don’t know how she died or the circumstances of her disappearance.

The FBI said Joanna Michelle Amaya, aka Dior Reyes, 21, of Gaithersburg, was recovered from the park in Thurmont on June 12.

The agency said that “a portion of her body was discovered by hikers off the trail in the park.”

The cause of death has yet to be determined.

As WTOP previously reported, she was wearing a black track suit, a wrist guard and red Nike shoes. She was found with a Puma handbag and a set of keys with an El Salvador keychain.

Authorities are urging people who think they may know who the woman is, or if they have information about a missing person in the last six months, to call the FBI’s free tip-line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this story.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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