Missing woman found dead in vacant building, family says. ‘Drove past her every day’

A woman reported missing more than a year ago has been found dead inside an abandoned building, Pennsylvania police told news outlets.

Ri’Kiah Griffie was 24 years old when she disappeared, WPXI reported, and she was reported missing on Oct. 11, 2022. That day was the last her mother, Ronda Duke, ever spoke to her, Duke told the station.

Time passed but Griffie’s whereabouts remained unclear until April 18, when the Pennsylvania State Police received a call from officers in Aliquippa, saying a body had been found, according to a state police news release.

The body was buried under debris in an abandoned building, police told the Beaver County Times.

At the time of her disappearance, Griffie was living with her boyfriend at his home, which is just one block away from the building, the Times and WPXI reported.

State police took over the investigation and, through dental records, the remains were identified as Griffie’s, KDKA reported.

“She laid here by herself,” her aunt, Allyssa Griffie, told the outlet. “And we drove past her every day. Justice will be served for my cousin, whether it be by the law or the Lord.”

Officials have not said how Griffie died or if foul play is suspected.

Aliquippa is about a 30-mile drive northwest from downtown Pittsburgh.

This story was originally published April 23, 2024 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Missing woman found dead in vacant building, family says. ‘Drove past her every day’."