Army Veteran Missing Since 2019 Turns Up Dead As DNA Evidence Confirms Body Found In Nevada Hers

A woman’s remains discovered in Nevada earlier this year has been positively identified as a New Mexico woman missing since 2019, the Farmington Police Department released on Friday.

Navajo woman Cecelia Barber Finona, a 59-year-old U.S. Army veteran, was last seen at her Farmington home on May 30, 2019. At the time, her boyfriend turned primary suspect Jerry Jay had also gone missing from the New Mexico address, according to NBC News.

Finona's corpse was finally found in February 2021, two years after she first went missing in, Clark County, Nevada, identified through DNA sequencing on June 30.

Farmington Police immediately suspected foul play in the early stages of their investigation. The couple had been arguing the night Finona went missing, according to her family members.

Authorities moved to charge Jay with her murder and kidnapping after evidence led detectives to be "very concerned" for Finona's safety, Fox News noted. Court documents indicate that blood found at her home in 2019 trailed from the bottom of the porch, extending to the driveway.

Detectives say it seemed like someone had intentionally tried to cover the bloodstains with potting soil. They noted a “single eyeglass lens covered in blood” was also retrieved from the crime scene.

Farmington detectives have been working closely with their counterparts from the Sparks Police Department and Las Vegas Metro Police Department since the reported disappearance of the U.S. Army veteran on June 1, 2019.

Jay was seized by police just four days later, on June 5, following a ping after he used her debit card at an ATM in Las Vegas, Nevada. Further investigations unraveled that he also swiped her cards in Farmington, New Mexico, Window Rock, Arizona, and Kingman, Arizona, withdrawing more than $1,200, the New York Post reported.

He was then charged with possession of a credit card without the owner’s consent and making fraudulent charges. On Friday, July 2, police moved to slap him with additional charges, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, and tampering with evidence.

Months before her disappearance, Finona shared her military journey with the Farmington Daily Times. At the time, she had just returned to New Mexico after serving the U.S. Army for 31 years.

“Today we have very mixed feelings,” Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said in a statement, offering his condolences to the woman's grieving family and friends. “This marks the ending of two years of searching, and we’re deeply saddened at the outcome."

Hebbe vowed to continue with their investigations to ensure the person responsible for Finona's death is held accountable. It remains unclear if the suspect has a legal representative who could speak on his behalf following his recent charges.