Who Is Christina Morris? Kidnapped Texas Woman’s Remains Found Years After Disappearance

Police confirmed Thursday that remains found in a wooded area of Anna, Texas on Wednesday have been identified as being those of missing Fort Worth woman Christina Morris, who vanished in 2014 from a shopping center in Dallas, and whose kidnapper was convicted 18 months ago.

According to a press conference on Wednesday conducted by the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, the human “remains were found while excavators and construction people were working to clear this area of some brush.”

Lt. Nick Bristow of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office said that the area where they found the remains, had previously been searched in relation to Morris’ case. He added that the Plano Police Department, the investigating agency in her case, were called “out of an abundance of caution.”

Morris, then 23, went missing in 2014 and was last seen alive on surveillance video, walking with a man into a parking garage of the upscale Shops at Legacy in Plano on Aug. 30, 2014.

Based on the condition of the remains found on Wednesday, police could not immediately determine gender, age or any other characteristics of the victim. They were transferred to the Collin County Medical Examiner for identification Wednesday, while police continued their search to collect evidence from the scene through Thursday morning.

NBC’s Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate reported that Morris’ mother, Jonni Hare, on Thursday, placed flowers at the site where the remains were said to have been discovered by the authorities.

At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Plano Police Department Chief Gregory Rushin confirmed the remains to be those of Morris.

"The Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office has examined the recovered remains and this morning has positively identified the remains as those of Christina Morris," Chief Rushin said. "We will continue to investigate this case and work with the Collin County District Attorney’s Office in our continuing efforts to seek justice for the family and loved ones of Christina Morris."

Enrique Arochi, now 27, a former acquaintance of Morris, was convicted in September 2016 in connection with her disappearance, and is serving a life sentence for aggravated kidnapping. He will be eligible for parole in 2046.

Chief Rushin declined to provide further details on the condition of Morris’ remains. He said “the past three and half years since Christina’s disappearance has been a very difficult time for everyone.”

“Today is bittersweet, as we return Christina to her family in our continuing efforts to bring answers and, perhaps, some measure of peace to those who have been personally affected by her disappearance,” Chief Rushin said at the press conference.

Morris’ mom and her stepsister Sarah Estes also spoke at the press conference on Thursday.

“This, I must say, is the most difficult day that I’ve ever faced in my entire life,” Hare said, through tears. “I know our daughter is in a better place. I know she’s in Heaven. I know she’s proud of us for not giving up. I know she’s smiling.”

“Our hearts are irreversibly broken,” Estes added. “We never wanted closure -- even if there was such a thing. We only wanted Christina.”

Police did not disclose what effect, if any, these developments will have on Arochi.