The body of Danyelle Minerva, 19, of Atco, was found in a wooded area of Alloway Township on Monday afternoon.
ALLOWAY TWP. -- An Atco woman who has been missing since October has been found dead in Salem County, according to New Jersey State Police.
A body found in a wooded area of Alloway Township was identified this week as Danyelle Minerva, 19.
Danyelle Minerva, 19, of Atco, was found dead in a wooded area of Alloway Township, Salem County on Monday. She had been missing since October. (Photos provided by NJ State Police) State Police, who sent out a missing person alert on Nixle in November, are asking for the public's help in their investigation into her death.
Her body was discovered Monday around 1:48 p.m. by tree service workers in a wooded area off Alloway-Woodstown Road, police said.
The area where the body was found is between Timberman and Brickyard roads.
The road was closed off for several hours around the investigation scene Monday.
Police did not say how long the woman's body appeared to have been in the woods or how she may have died.
She was reported missing by family on Oct. 15, 2015, a few days after she last updated her Facebook profile photo.
Posters were posted and shared in a Facebook group, Help Find Danyelle Minerva. Police said in their misssing person's alert in the fall that Minerva was last seen in Bridgeton at the Riggins Gas Station, but that she may have also been seen in Atlantic City in mid-November.
On the Facebook page dedicated to finding her, run by her brother Dan Minerva and his girlfriend, it was reported that Minerva was seen at the gas station that day getting into a gold car with a white male in his 30s. Minerva was supposed to return to the gas station to meet a friend but never returned, according to the page.
A GoFundMe account was set up earlier this week to help raise money for funeral costs. Services are set for Monday.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit, Detective Sergeant Glen Garrels at 609-882-2000 Ext. 3355 or the Woodstown State Police Station at 856-769-0775. Anonymous tips are welcome, police say.
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow South Jersey Times on Twitter @TheSJTimes. Find NJ.com on Facebook.