SANFORD — Kerry Rear went missing Jan. 22. The search for her ended Wednesday afternoon, when her body was found not far from there she was last seen.

Police and the Maine Warden Service have been searching for Rear since she disappeared. 

On Wednesday, Sanford Police Detective Eric Small said police and wardens were looking in a wooded area off Country Club Road, about 200 yards from where she was last seen, and found her body.

She was found by Maine Warden’s Service Sgt. Tim Spahr, according to Maine Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.

Her parents, Ken and Sheila Rear, who live in Florida, have been notified.

McCausland said the death is under investigation and that an autopsy to determine a cause of death is scheduled for Thursday,

Rear, 40, walked into Lil Mart, near the roundabout, on the evening of Jan. 22, wearing stockings but no shoes, a black puffy jacket with a pink-lined hood and brown pants. She seemed disoriented, clerks told police — she  thought she was in a bank.

Family members said Rear had a number of personal struggles, but had always remained in contact with them. They reported her missing after they hadn’t been able to get in touch with her for several days.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.