Detectives have uncovered human remains inside the vehicle of an Arkansas mother who disappeared 23 years ago, taking her young child along on that fateful day.

A dedicated organization, Adventure With Purpose, which aims to solve old and unsolved cases, discovered the car that belonged to Samantha Jean Hopper. The vehicle, hidden beneath eight feet of water, was found on a recent Tuesday, as reported by the Pope County Sheriff’s Department.

The mystery began on September 11, 1998, when a missing person report was filed for Samantha Hopper. Despite extensive searches, neither Samantha, her child, nor the blue Ford Tempo she was driving had been seen since.

Samantha was last known to be heading to drop off her daughter, Courtney Holt, before continuing to a show in Little Rock. Tragically, none of them made it to their destination.

After years of uncertainty, the car was finally discovered submerged, marking a significant development in the case.

The vehicle’s resting place went unnoticed in the watery depths for over two decades.

The vehicle’s contents, including the human remains, have since been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab located in Little Rock.

Here, they will undergo DNA analysis to confirm identities and provide answers to lingering questions.

The Pope County Sheriff’s Office expressed gratitude for contributing to the resolution of this decades-long mystery.

They also extended heartfelt sympathies to Samantha and Courtney’s family, acknowledging the tragic end to their long time uncertainty.

Samantha’s remaining daughter, Dezarea, expressed her sentiments through a memorial page, revealing that Samantha was nine months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.

Dezarea’s younger sister was only around two years old when they vanished.

Despite the sorrow the discovery brings, Dezarea regards this resolution as a form of relief, closing a painful chapter in their lives.