Pine Bluff body tentatively ID'd as missing 23-year-old woman

Woman vanished in the city more than a month ago

PINE BLUFF -- Pine Bluff police said Tuesday that a body found near the intersection of 38th and Ohio streets is likely that of a woman who has been missing for more than a month.

Pine Bluff police spokesman Lt. David E. Price said detectives have tentatively identified the remains as those of 23-year-old Maranda Goldman, who was reported missing Oct. 8 after she visited the Goodwill store on 28th Avenue in Pine Bluff.

Price said the body, which he described as "extensively decomposed," has been sent to the state Crime Laboratory for identification. He added that there were "no obvious signs of foul play or any other indication of how the person died" at the scene.

Price said an anonymous tip led investigators to the area.

Police found Goldman's car in the store's parking lot on Oct. 8.

Goldman's family said she had gone to the Goodwill store to fill out an employment application and planned to run other errands that day. A worker who answered the phone Tuesday at the store deferred all comments to Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, which has its headquarters in Little Rock.

Heather Haywood, a spokesman for Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, said Tuesday, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time."

Since she vanished, Goldman's family and friends have been collecting donations for a reward in hopes that it would lead to information and her safe return. At a vigil shortly after she disappeared, Goldman's loved ones prayed, lit candles and passed out fliers with her photo and other information.

Around the area where Goldman was last seen, dozens of the fliers have gone up in business windows and on utility poles.

Ruby Scoggins, who works at a fast food restaurant down the street from the Goodwill store, said she has handed them to customers since Goldman's disappearance. She said she continues to pray that Goldman will be found safe.

"The news about finding a body doesn't sound good, but I know everyone has hope," Scoggins said. "No matter if it's that girl or not, it's someone's body, and that is never a good thing."

Anyone with information about Goldman's disappearance is asked to contact the Pine Bluff Police Department's detective division at (870) 730-2090 or the dispatch center at (870) 541-5300.

State Desk on 11/11/2015

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