Camper reports something under car, then vanishes, AR cops say. She’s found dead

A 32-year-old woman who vanished while camping alone was found dead a month later a few miles away from her campsite, Arkansas authorities say.

Jessica Paige Kemp was reported missing by her family May 14, but it was nine days prior when deputies from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department first had contact with her, according to a news release.

Sheriff Brad Snyder said Kemp was camping near Lake Ashbaugh near Delaplaine on May 5 when she called 911 “to report something or someone under her car.” Deputies, however, were unable to find anything suspicious.

May 5 was the last time Kemp opened a text message, her mother told WREG.

“We didn’t hear anything from her. She stopped using her debit card, no responses from her to anybody, and we’ve always been a very, very close family, so we knew something was wrong,” the mother told the news outlet.

Authorities found Kemp’s vehicle May 15, but deputies said there was no sign of the 32-year-old woman.

Multiple agencies initiated a weekslong search for Kemp before a body was discovered June 10 about 2.5 miles from her original campsite, according to Arkansas Search and Rescue.

The search and rescue team said Kemp’s bra and pants were discovered, as well as the smell of a “foul odor.” A decomposed body was found nearby.

The remains were positively identified June 18 as belonging to Kemp, according to the sheriff. A cause of death is pending an autopsy.

“I don’t want anybody to ever go through that, ever,” Sandy Kemp, Jessica Kemp’s mother, told KJNB. “(There’s) no pain like it in the world. I hit my knees.”

In an emotional post on Facebook after his sister’s body was discovered, Darrell Kemp said the family will now “fight for justice.”

“I wish I could have been here May 5th. I wish she would have called me instead of law enforcement,” the brother said. “I wish she was here for just one minute so I could hug her tight and rest my head on her head. I wish she would’ve gotten the attention and compassion she deserved. I can’t say for sure what happened because we have no clue. I pray to God she didn’t suffer.”

Lake Ashbaugh is about a 150-mile drive northeast from Little Rock.

This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Camper reports something under car, then vanishes, AR cops say. She’s found dead."