Officials: Human remains found in Waltham were those of missing woman

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — Authorities say human remains found in Waltham are believed to be those of a 73-year-old woman who went missing last year.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said Thursday that a preliminary investigation identified the woman as Sara LaRoche, who was reported missing in May. Officials say there were no signs of foul play.

LaRoche may have suffered from dementia, only spoke Haitian-Creole and had recently moved to Waltham from Florida, according to the National Institute of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Several state and local agencies searched for LaRoche after she was reported missing.

The remains were found Wednesday in a remote wooded area.

The medical examiner’s office will try to determine the cause of death and confirm the identity of the remains.