UPDATE: Autopsy Fails to Identify Missing Woman's Remains

UPDATE: An autopsy Saturday on the remains of a woman found in Gray Court failed to identify whether the body is that of a missing woman last seen alive in Simpsonville.

Laurens County Coroner Francis "Nick" Nichols told WYFF that more will have to be done to determine if the woman found in a pasture on Friday is Myranda Whisenant Southern of Taylors, reported missing after last seen alive in Simpsonville on Aug. 19.

"It was inconclusive," Nichols told WYFF.  "We're now looking at dental records.  If we decide to do DNA testing, that could take four or five days."

Nichols said he will not release information on a possible cause of death until he has more information about the woman's identity, the station reported.

"It's still just a mystery right now as to who we have," Nichols said.  "We need to be 100 percent sure."

Southern, last seen at her employer, Charter Communications in Simpsonville, was supposed to pick up her children from relatives in Zellwood, Fla., on Tuesday, but never arrived.

Original story: While friends and family on Friday night held a vigil for Myranda Southern, authorities were trying to determine if a body found in Gray Court might be that of the missing woman, who was last seen alive Monday in Simpsonville.

On August 19, the GCSO received a report in reference to the victim (aka Myranda Whisenant), being reported missing.  

The 31-year-old victim from Taylors was last seen at her place of employment (Charter Communications) in Simpsonville, on Monday around midnight.  

The victim was supposed to be heading to Zellwood, Fla., to visit family and never arrived.  

On Friday, a body of a woman was found off Bramlett Church Road in Gray Court. Greenville and Laurens County authorities are trying to determine if the body might be that of Southern, Fox Carolina reported.

Meantime, on Friday night in Greer City Park, friends and family of Southern gathered to pray for her safe return, Fox also reported. 

They said they fear something has gone terribly wrong since Southern wouldn't leave behind her two young children, ages 8 and 10, or be gone this long without contact, the report said.

"Her children are her world, that's why we fear something is wrong," close friend and neighbor Lauren Searcy told Fox.

Searcy also pointed to strange activity on Southern's Facebook page. "There's been some odd messages on Facebook, and no one has spoken to her verbally," said Searcy. "The way the Facebook messages are worded, we do not believe at all they are her."

The body of the woman, found in a pasture, will undergo an autopsy Saturday morning. Greenville County deputies are working with Laurens County officials to determine if the woman might be Southern. Due to the condition of the body, authorities said the corpse had been there several days.

Authorities said Southern might have been driving a beige 2000 four-door Buick LeSabre, but that no abandoned vehicles were found at the scene.

Stay tuned to Patch for more details as they become available.