Human remains were discovered in the home of missing toddler Elaina Steinfurth on Thursday where she was last seen before she disappeared, UPI reported.
Officials have been searching for Steinfurth ever since she vanished on June 2, 2013 in Toledo, Ohio. Her father, T.J. Steinfurth, reported her missing after he went to pick her and her sister up from their mother's house but only left with one of his children.
Lucas County Coroner Dr. James Patrick said that the cardbox found in home of Steinfurth's mother contained "apparent human remains." An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
The cardbox was found in the garage of Steven King, the ex-boyfriend of the girl's mother, Angela Steinfurth, 26. The missing toddler previously lived there with her mother and King, which was investigated and searched by police several times.
The remains came quickly after King made a court appearance on charges of obstruction in the case. The girl's mother is also facing the same charge.
When asked about the discovery, T.J. Steinfurth said he was "irate" and feels that "it's hard to stay optimistic" given the circumstances of the case.
When her father went to his estranged wife's house to pick Elaina up in June, her mother claimed their youngest daughter was not at her home and later reported that she was kidnapped. A few weeks after she went missing, Angela Steinfurth was arrested after telling police she knew her daughter was injured.
One of Angela Steinfurth's neighbors told Nancy Grace that the girl's mother confided in him about discovering a black eye and dried blood on her daughter before she her disappearance.
Police officials scheduled a press conference on Friday at 10:30 a.m. to announce recent developments.
Patrick said it could take several weeks to determine the identity of the remains but mentioned his office may be able to speed up the process with assistance from the state.
