Long-missing South Jersey woman's body flown home from Utah

Authorities do not know why Theresa Greaves disappeared in 1983. They do not know how the South Jersey woman died, who killed her, or how her remains ended up on a Utah hillside, where they were found last year.

But a small step toward closure in the 33-year-old mystery came this week, when Greaves' remains were flown back to her family in New Jersey.

Greaves had lived in Utah for about two months when she disappeared in August 1983. She was 23. Her skull and additional remains were discovered last February; they were identified as hers about a month later.

The remains were flown to New Jersey, where a relative took custody of them Tuesday, said Sgt. DeeAnn Servey, a spokeswoman for the Davis County Sheriff's Office in Utah.

The woman's family recently raised enough money for a burial plot and funeral expenses, according to the Sheriff's Office, but did not have enough money to cover the transportation costs. A detective was prepared to pay for the transportation, but an anonymous donor stepped in.

"We're finally able to send her remains home," Servey said, adding, "We are still passionate about finding out what happened to Theresa."

Authorities are investigating her death as a homicide. The Sheriff's Office has asked for help from the public since Greaves' remains were found, and Servey said some leads have surfaced over the last year.

There are several "people of interest" that investigators want to talk to in order to learn more about what happened to Greaves, she said, without specifying whether those people were considered suspects or witnesses.

A cause of death has not yet been determined.

"There is movement," Servey said. "It's just not fast movement."

Greaves graduated from Collingswood High School in 1977. A man walking his dog in Fruit Heights, Utah, noticed what turned out to be her skull on Feb. 5, 2015. She had been living in Woods Cross, about 12 miles away, before her disappearance.

Officials ask anyone with information about the case, even if it seems insignificant, to call the Sheriff's Office at 801-451-4150.