Body found, positively identified as 75-year-old Mississippi woman who went missing in March

Published 4:27 am Sunday, April 24, 2022

The body of a Mississippi woman who went missing in March has been positively identified.

Officials with the Harrison County Coroner’s office confirmed that a body that was discovered in Gulfport on Wednesday was that of 75-year-old Dorothy Jean Burks.

Officials believe that Burks died within 24 hours of her being reported missing. According to the Biloxi Sun Herald, no foul play is suspected in Burk’s death.

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For days and weeks, family, friends and rescue crews searched Burks after she went missing on March 23.

WLOX in Biloxi reported that crews from across the region assisted in the search for Burks, of Gulfport, who was last seen near the 16000 block of Fifth Street at 2 pm on Wednesday, March 23.

Search crews from the Harrison County Fire Rescue, Gulfport Fire Department and Gulfport Police Department helped in the search, using drones and canines in some of their searches.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation issued a Silver Alert for Burks on March 23.

She was last seen wearing a black jacket, white shirt, white and red checkered pants, a bonnet cover over her hair, and an alligator print purse. She was walking but the direction she was going is unknown.