DALLAS — A woman's body was found under the Dowdy Ferry Bridge just after noon Sunday in southeast Dallas County.
The area just south of Interstate 20 is a known dumping ground. A dog rescue group was searching the area when it came across the body.
"Just really a heartbreaking scene," said Alisia Lowder, who was part of the rescue group. "A woman's body in a very decomposing state. There aren't any words."
Upon hearing the news, family members of a missing mother, 34-year-old Marisol Espinosa, traveled to the scene. Espinosa, a mother of three, vanished on Dec. 29, 2015. Her family has been searching for answers ever since.
While police say the remains were found in an area where searches for the mother were previously conducted, they say at this time, they're unable to confirm the identity of the body.
Faustino Valdez, Espinosa's boyfriend and father of two of her children, was the last person to see her alive. He told authorities he last saw her as she left their home to head to NorthPark Center, where Espinosa worked as a hairdresser for 15 years.
Her Chevy Tahoe was later found abandoned in the parking lot of an apartment complex.
During a January hearing where Espinosa's mother, Rosemary, was awarded temporary custody of her children, it was revealed police are searching for Valdez on two felony theft cases. In a court order, prosecutors called Valdez a "wanted fugitive and flight risk." The judge also ordered that Valdez have no contact with the Espinosa family or his two children.
Espinosa's mother told the judge Valdez had a history of violence. She said she once witnessed him attempt to strangle her daughter. While Valdez was arrested, Espinosa declined to press charges.
Rosemary Espinosa says she last saw Valdez on January 3.
"This incident will be reported as an unexplained death until the ME makes positive identification and determines cause of death," read a tweet from Dallas police.
Lowder hopes her gruesome discovery brings closure for a family in pain.
"We've all had our eyes and ears open regarding the missing woman," Lowder said in reference to Espinosa. "Maybe it was by the grace of God she was stuck there so she could be found today to put closure for someone's family."