Neighbors shaken by death of once-missing Pennsylvania mom Jennifer Brown: 'We're numb'

A Montgomery County mother who was found dead after a two-week search was remembered by neighbors as a happy woman who was fiercely loyal to her two sons. 

The remains of 43-year-old Jennifer Brown were discovered Wednesday partially buried in a grassy area behind a Royersford warehouse, according to authorities. 

The gruesome discovery brought a 15-day search for Brown to a tragic ending, but left many questions unsolved in her disappearance and death. 

Brown was reported missing on Jan. 4 after she failed to pick up her 8-year-old son from school. She was last seen the previous day at her home in Limerick by some described by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office as a "friend and business associate." 

Brown's vehicle was later found parked outside her house on Stratford Court with her car keys, wallet, purse and work cellphone were found inside. Her personal cellphone was not found, but investigators said it was out of communication since the morning of Jan. 4. 

"I have to say I didn’t have the best feeling about this but when somebody disappears it’s not like I’m going to the grocery store," Carol Sprainer, a neighbor of Brown's, told FOX 29. She said Brown was a devoted mother and friends with a group of women in the neighborhood. 

About two weeks after her disappearance, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele reported that Brown's body was found partially buried in Royersford. A large group of investigators wearing white jumpsuits were spotted Wednesday afternoon in a grassy area behind a warehouse in Royersford.

Authorities have not speculated publicly about what lead to Brown's death. Her nextdoor neighbor, Nancy Decker, said Brown had recently invested in a restaurant with a local man described as a friend.

"We cried, my sister-in-law was here and we both cried," Decker said. "We were upset, it's shocking, we don't know what to expect right now, we're numb."