Michelle and her family meet at her grandmother's house in Atlantic City to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Dawn later told Dateline that her mother is last seen by the family two days later, around 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 24, 2001.

Two horseback riders discover the woman's body, nude except for a white bra, lying face-up about six feet off Estell Avenue in the Mizpah section of the township, about a quarter-mile from Route 40. Evidence suggested that she was killed at another location. She had suffered trauma to the neck, chest and scalp. She died from aspirating on her vomit. Michelle does not have a car at this time, so her family has no reason to believe that she had no reason to be in this area of town. Her family believes that Michelle was killed in Atlantic City and that her remains were dumped in the area of Mizpah.

Location Of Michelle's Body

According to a statement released by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, the autopsy revealed the cause of death to be “asphyxia associated with aspiration of gastric contents, multiple blunt force injuries of the head, neck and torso.“ He concluded that the “manner of death was homicide.”