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On Monday, May 22, a body discovered in the Pennsylvania woods was publicly identified as Ivana Meandzija, a woman from Utah. While the autopsy has been completed, the Pennsylvania authorities have not yet disclosed the cause of death. The case currently remains under investigation.
Pennsylvania authorities first discovered Ivana Meandzija's body in early May. The authorities have requested anyone with information regarding the incident to step forward.
Timeline of the investigation into Ivana Meandzija's death
WJACTV reported that on the morning of May 2, a construction worker discovered Ivana Meandzija's body in a wooded area in Clearfield County. The construction worker, whose identity has not been disclosed, informed Pennsylvania authorities that the body was in an area between Hoopup Road and Interstate 1-80.
On May 3, officials completed the autopsy. Her family was also informed that she had been found. As the case was in the early stages of investigation, the authorities did not reveal any further information.
Officials suspect the incident most likely occurred between Saturday, April 29, and Tuesday, May 2. They have not identified any suspects nor confirmed the possibility of foul play.
Disappearances in America
According to AS News, the US Department of Justice's National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) records 22,740 people who are currently missing in America. Of the total number, approximately 400 are recorded as missing in the State of Pennsylvania.
Beyond national records, other databases record far more people missing. In some instances, this is because certain databases count older, unsolved cases.
NamUS noted that much like the case of Ivana Meandzija, if a missing person is discovered, it typically occurs shortly after they were reported to have disappeared. Officials note that the longer a missing persons investigation, the less likely it is to get solved. While authorities identified Ivana Meandzija using her ID card, almost 4,400 unidentified bodies are discovered in America a year.
In an interview with NPR, Todd Matthews, Director of Communications for the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, discussed the database with journalists. Matthews said:
“You know, the missing touches everybody, I think. In 2012, we had 661,000 cases of missing persons; and that’s just from that one year. Very quickly, 659,000 of those were canceled. So that means those persons either come back; in some cases, located as deceased persons, maybe never an unidentified person; or just a total misunderstanding."
Utah, which was Meandzija's home State, has 107 cases recorded in the US Department of Justice system. However, the State-run Utah Missing Persons Clearinghouse states that the number is as high as 800.
