Remains of Woman Kidnapped by Friend Found in Texas

After three years of searching, a family found their missing daughter when her remains were discovered Wednesday in a field in Texas, NBC DFW reports. "We promised Christina we would find her and bring her home," the Dallas Observer quotes Christina Morris' sister as saying. "We were determined to keep that promise." The 23-year-old Morris was last seen leaving a shopping center in Plano with her friend Enrique Arochi in August 2014, CBS DFW reports. Arochi was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping after Morris' DNA was found in the trunk of his car. Police allege Arochi, drunk and high on Adderall, kidnapped Morris because he was upset a friend had declined his sexual advances. He continues to maintain his innocence.

Skeletal remains were found Wednesday by a crew clearing a field in Anna for a new housing development. The field is less than a mile from a cellphone tower that pinged Arochi's phone a day after Morris' disappearance. Police announced the remains belonged to Morris on Thursday. "I know our daughter is in a better place. I know she's in heaven. I know she's proud of us for not giving up," says Morris' mother, Jonni Hare, who was seen placing flowers in the field Thursday. She also thanked police and public for their help searching for Morris. Officials didn't take questions or give a cause of death. "We will continue to investigate this case ... in our continuing effort to seek justice for the family and loved ones of Christina Morris," Plano police chief Gregory Rushin says. (More missing person stories.)