Canadian authorities reported that clothing discovered alongside human remains in New Brunswick matches exactly what a 79-year-old woman was wearing when she disappeared four months ago.
According to a news release, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they received a report on Sunday, Sept. 28, from a man walking his dog in a wooded area near Nerepis Road and Route 7 in the town of Grand Bay-Westfield.
“When police arrived at the scene, they discovered that the clothing located with the remains matched exactly what missing 79-year-old Ruth Carol Sutton was said to be wearing when she was last seen on May 25, 2025,” the RCMP stated.
“Members of the New Brunswick RCMP Forensic Identification Services, Police Dog Services, and a member of the New Brunswick Coroner’s Office also attended the scene and are assisting with the ongoing investigation,” the release added.
Authorities are continuing their efforts to confirm the identity of the remains.
In an earlier update from June, the RCMP said Sutton was last seen on Mallard Drive in Grand Bay-Westfield, and that its underwater recovery team had searched a large body of water near her last known location.
Bertis Sutton, Ruth’s son, told Global News in June that his mother had early-stage Alzheimer’s but had not shown signs of disorientation or wandering.
“It didn’t affect her personality, it didn’t affect her vocabulary, her long-term memory,” Bertis said. “She was never disoriented or didn’t know where she was.”
“The best we can guess is that something changed in her physiology and her brain that morning and this was her first and last wander,” he added.
Sutton was described as 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing approximately 130 lbs., with white hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a light-blue jacket and rubber ankle boots.
Bertis also told Global News that his mother had lived with her husband in their home for over 50 years.
“He’s engaged in things that interest him and trying to keep his mind on happier things,” Bertis said of his father following Ruth’s disappearance.
