Body Found Under Kentucky Bridge Identified as Missing Woman Tessa Reeves

Tessa Reeves walked out of Bayso's Bar on Valentine's Day with no cell phone, no personal belongings, just a pink shirt. Witnesses at 111 South Hord Street in Grayson, Kentucky, were the last people to see the 50-year-old alive. Nine days passed before anyone filed a missing-person report with KSP Post 14. Five weeks after that, a passerby found her beneath a bridge on State Route 7.

Kentucky State Police announced on March 29, 2026 that the body discovered near Gibbs Hardware in Carter County on March 24 had been positively identified as Reeves. The discovery came at approximately 9:58 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, and it took five days of investigative work before troopers could put a name to the woman they found.

That five-day window reflects what identification in rural outdoor cases actually looks like. When there are no identifying documents at a scene, investigators work inward: physical description, missing-persons databases, fingerprint and dental comparison, or DNA analysis if needed. In Reeves' case, KSP had a head start. The agency had been publicly requesting help finding her since March 3, when troopers issued a bulletin describing her last known appearance at Bayso's Bar and noting she had no phone on her. That prior casework gave investigators a baseline to compare against, and within five days of finding the body, the identification was confirmed.

What hasn't been confirmed is how Reeves died. The cause of death remains pending with the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office. No arrests have been announced, and KSP has made clear the investigation is active and ongoing. The question of what happened between February 14 and March 24 remains completely open.

The location of the discovery is worth noting for anyone following this case. Bridges and underpasses along numbered rural state routes, like State Route 7, are recurring discovery sites in Kentucky missing-persons cases. They are accessible on foot, they provide cover, and they sit in visual blind spots from the road. Weather, water, and time all work against physical evidence in these settings, which is why investigators place a premium on civilian tips when a scene has been exposed for weeks.

KSP Post 14 is asking anyone with information about Reeves' whereabouts after the night of February 14 to call (606) 928-6421. She was wearing a pink shirt and had no phone. Somebody saw her after she left that bar.