Authorities at the Summit County Medical Examiner's office have successfully recognized the human remains discovered earlier this week in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northern Summit County as Taylor Robinson, the missing 19-year-old student at Kent State University's Stark campus.
"They definitely confirmed the dental records to the body found in the Cuyahoga Valley Park definitely to be a match to Taylor Robinson," said Timothy Dimoff, a private detective on the case.
Hikers found skeletal remnants, including parts of a jawbone, strewn in the woods Monday night in the Park.
Dimoff said that the Akron woman was last seen May 3, when she was dropped off at a residence in Akron to carry out her home health-care job. When Robinson's mother, Carmilla Robinson came to pick her up the next morning, she was not there.
"Now we have an answer," Carmilla said. "We were in limbo, but now we have closure. She's found - she's not a lost child anymore. It wasn't the way that we anticipated or that we hoped for, but you brought our baby home," she said.
The remains have been sent to Mercyhurst University in Pa to determine the cause of death.
"I just want to say to the person that did this, you're looking at someone who's like a dog on a bone," Dimoff said. "We're not quitting, We're going to look for this individual or individuals that were responsible for this."
Dimoff suspects a close friend of Robinson's to have committed this gruesome murder. He also said that the homicide might have been an unintentional consequence of a disagreement and physical argument gone wrong.
"The entire Kent State community is saddened by the loss of Taylor Robinson," said Director of Media Relations Emily Vincent said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Taylor's family friends and those who knew and loved her as they struggle with such an overwhelming loss."
Robonson's friends said that she was active in volleyball and softball.
"Taylor, she was real cool. She was always real happy, and hyper," said Lashawnda Carter, a childhood friend.
"She was the type of person who would be in a room and would just bust out laughing [for no reason]," said Tyasia Savage, another friend from middle school.
