North Carolina investigators have received an unexpected boost in a disappearance case.
For two years, the police had been looking for Nellie Sullivan, a nonagenarian who was reported missing.
Two suspects had been identified by the police: they were Angela Wamsley, the daughter of the missing person, as well as her husband Mark Barnes.
Authorities believed the 90-plus-year-old was murdered by Wamsley and Barnes, but the victim’s body could not be found.
It was only last week that the police found the body of Nellie Sullivan, thanks to a domestic duck.
The latter had fled under a trailer and while trying to catch up with him, the owners of the animal discovered a waste container where the body of Nellie Sullivan was.
“If I could give that duck a medal, I would,” said Sergeant Mark Walker of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
The body of the victim was sent to the laboratory to allow the police to understand how long Ms Sullivan had been dead.
According to Sergeant Mark Walker, the two suspects had hidden the body in order to continue to receive benefits.
Thanks to the discovery of the body, the two suspects could be formally charged with murder.