Bones Identified As Radcliff Woman

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Officials have made an identification on human bones found near Valhalla Golf Club in January.

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Neighbors React To Finding

The bones belong to Mary Plumblee-Zambounis, a Radcliff, Ky., woman who police believe was murdered in December 1999.

"I have been told that we are investigating this case as a homicide," Jefferson County Police spokeswoman Stacey Redmon said. "We are working in conjunction with the Kentucky State Police on this.

Plumblee-Zambounis' car was discovered on the 1900 block of Goldsmith Lane in Sept. 2000. Some of her Christmas presents were still inside.

"That car was probably in that location for several months," Sgt. Sherman Tebault said. "It had some evidence there that was with her when she disappeared."

Police responded to a burglary call at about the same time she disappeared, but they do not know if that call was related to her disappearance.

"They reported a burglary at about that same month, and they thought it might be connected to her disappearance," Tebault said. "But we have no evidence at that time that that burglary is connected to her disappearance."

According to the medical examiner's office the woman's entire skeleton was not found.

Certain bones which haven't been discovered could determine if Plumblee-Zambounis' death involved foul play.

Officials said that if the missing the bones from her fingers are recovered, forensic scientists might be able to determine if there was a struggle.

The bones were found in some woods by children.

When the bones were found, officials believed that they had been there for at least a year.

Neighbors of Plumblee-Zambounis, including Joseph Buchanan, said Wednesday that they were saddened to learn that her body had been found.

"She'd been missing for almost 2 years now," Buchanan said. "Everyone misses her. We were a little upset over it, you know. We've known them so much. We're kind of close to them."

NewsChannel 32 and TheLouisvilleChannel.com will continue to update this story as additional information becomes available.