Update
A body found at a closed rest area in Darlington County eleven years ago has been identified as Michelle Yvonne Haggadone of Bolivia, North Carolina, said Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee.
A trucker found the woman's body at a rest stop along Interstate 20 in July 2000.
A year later, former Darlington County Coroner Eldridge Norton had her buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Hartsville. The marker on the grave reads, "She's unknown to us but not forgotten."
In 2008, the family of Michelle Haggadone, in a last ditch effort to find her, submitted their own DNA to the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office the hopes of finding a match.
It took three years, but they finally received a letter telling them the DNA samples matched that of an unidentified woman whose body was found in Darlington County.
At a news conference Tuesday, Michelle's sister spoke of learning Michelle's fate. "The emotion of it's pretty tough because it's like, you know, take the 11 years out, it's like she passed away yesterday because you literally get that answer," said Tuesday Miller.
After the news conference, Haggadone's family was able to see the grave site. They say they'll hold a special ceremony there with close family and add a headstone to her grave.
Deputies have charged John Boyer, 54, with murder. They say he's already in a North Carolina prison linked to two other murders. They say he confessed.
Boyer is a former truck driver.
