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Emmitsburg — Investigators believe the human remains found last week near Mount St. Mary's University were those of a petite young Hispanic woman, matching the description of Deysi Benitez.Benitez was last seen almost a year ago after her husband and four children were found dead in the family’s Hillcrest townhouse. An autopsy performed Monday at the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore revealed the skeletal remains were of a woman, about 25 years old, with long dark hair, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office said She is believed to have been about 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed between 125 and 140 pounds.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cpl. Jennifer Bailey said the body appeared to have been at the location for about a year. Asked if the remains might be Benitez, Bailey said officials weren't ruling out any possibilities. She said other jurisdictions are also looking for missing people matching that description. Frederick Police Department Lt. Shawn Martyak said his agency is also investigating whether the body is Benitez's. Investigators will conduct DNA testing, which might take several months, the sheriff's office reports. The case is being treated as a homicide, but the cause of death is still unknown. On Friday afternoon, police received a call from a real estate agent who was surveying a property in a wooded area near Saint Anthony and Hemler roads, just south of Mount St. Mary's University. Deputies continue to work with other local law enforcement agencies and process evidence collected at the scene. Benitez, a native of El Salvador, was last seen alive by neighbors March 18, eight days before police found the bodies of Pedro Rodriguez, 28, and their children Elsa, 9; Vanessa, 4; Angel, 3; and Carena, 1, in the family’s townhouse. Police determined that Rodriguez killed the children, then hanged himself. Their bodies were flown to El Salvador for burial. The townhouse at 1252 Danielle Drive where Benitez, her husband, Pedro Rodriguez, and their four children had lived since August 2005 has been reposed by Bank of America. The property is being managed by First Preston, a property management company, but has not been cleaned out or appraised. Furniture remains inside the house, along with a number of toys, food, clothing, opened soda cans and Christmas decorations.
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