Compiled by Staff

The body of 42-year-old Melinda “Mendy” Rice of Gilmer County, W.Va., was found in a creek near Wileyville on Thursday.

West Virginia State Police confirmed Rice’s body was discovered at about 12:30 p.m. in a stream behind a home on Mountaineer Highway between Wileyville and Brock Ridge in Wetzel County.

Rice had been missing since March 20, when she walked away from a residence on Brock Ridge.

Despite a search held April 1 in the area, the missing woman’s remains were not discovered until Thursday.

Officials said there were no obvious signs of trauma to indicate a cause of death. Her body was sent to Charleston for an autopsy.

According to Rice’s family, several people searched all day on April 1 for signs of the missing mother of four. Some searched the Brock Ridge area, while others searched the ridges surrounding Brock Ridge.

The family had offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to Rice’s discovery.

They also had planned another search for next weekend. When she was last seen, Rice was wearing a dark colored West Virginia hooded sweatshirt, a pair of jeans and white tennis shoes.

Rice’s family has searched for her, or signs of her whereabouts, since her disappearance. The family said they found an article of clothing along the road in the area where she was last seen.

The item was taken to the state police.

The state police also had taken search dogs to the area where Rice was last seen.