In a somber resolution to a seven-year mystery, a Colorado woman who disappeared in 2018 has been confirmed deceased.

The discovery came to light after a man, while rummaging through belongings in a detached garage at a Lochbuie residence, stumbled upon a bone on September 10. The Denver Post reports that the grisly find was made in a home where the missing woman, Terri Ann Ackerman, had lived with her husband, Delbert “Dale” Ackerman.

By late October, authorities had identified the bone as belonging to 56-year-old Terri, bringing an end to years of uncertainty since her disappearance from the Polar Street home. Despite thorough investigations using drones and search dogs, previous efforts to locate her had been unsuccessful.

Sean Ackerman, Terri’s stepson, was the one who made the shocking discovery. He has expressed disbelief that his father could have been involved in her death, despite the circumstances.

“The most puzzling aspect,” Sean noted, “is how cadaver dogs, which were deployed three times, failed to detect a body that was merely concealed by a thin piece of metal.”

“The biggest thing that doesn’t make sense to anybody is how cadaver dogs were out there three times and missed a body that was on the other side of a very thin piece of metal,” Sean said.

Sean said he made the discovery after his 70-year-old father died, and he inherited the property. He had been sorting through junk for mementos before placing the residence for sale.

So far, a cause of death has not been revealed.

Family members criticized search efforts over the years, claiming that the Lochbuie Police Department failed to provide answers.

”I get it,” her daughter, Ambyr Carolus, said in 2018, the Greeley Tribune reports. “People disappear. They leave, they come back. But to not come back for three months and there not be a trace of anything?”

Delbert Ackerman told police that he left the home while Terri was still in bed when he left for work that morning. When he returned home, he could not find her, but located her phone, wallet, and other personal items.

According to People Magazine, police said Terri had bipolar disorder and depression, and had been upset the night before she disappeared. Family members told police that she had been concerned over babysitting her grandchildren.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe fundraiser has been established to help the family with funeral and memorial expenses.

Check back for updates.

[Feature Photo via GoFundMe]