Missing mother’s body found in Santa Cruz County

The remains of a 29-year-old mother, who went missing in 2012 after giving birth to a baby boy, have been found, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, deputies said Jeannette Herum’s bones were found last year, by a couple out on a walk. After contacting the sheriff’s office, forensic testing was done and the remains were identified as Herum’s.

The sheriff’s office also said Herum reportedly went long stretches without contacting her family and became worried about her in 2014. That’s when she was initially reported missing.

They believe there have been other sightings of Herum since she disappeared from a Santa Cruz maternity ward, leaving her newborn son behind.

“There were some sightings of her supposedly between 2012 and 14 but we’re looking into that and the substance of that as well as the kind of circumstance surrounding really why she passed away” said Sergeant Chris Clark with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators are looking for more information on the suspicious circumstances surrounding Herum’s disappearance and death.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 831-454-7635.