Human skeletal remains found by kayaker identified as missing 62-year-old from Guilford County

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office has confirmed Friday that the human skeletal remains found along the Haw River in Sept. belong to Gwen Jenell Collins, a 62-year-old resident of Gibsonville.

2024-10-18

Collins was reported missing on Aug. 9, after she was last seen near her home on Bellflower Road in Guilford County.

A kayaker found the remains on Sept. 21 along the banks of the Haw River in Chatham County.

Additional human bones were recovered during a joint search effort involving the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, Nash County Sheriff's Office cadaver dogs, the North Chatham Fire Department's swift water rescue team, and Chatham County Emergency Management.

Investigators from the Guilford County Sheriff's Office believe Collins may have drowned or been swept away in a nearby creek that flows into the Haw River.

Her remains were positively identified through medical records and bone comparisons conducted by the Medical Examiner's Office.