CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — More than a week after a 25-year-old woman disappeared in Cheatham County, authorities confirmed her body was recovered from the Cumberland River below the Cheatham Dam Thursday morning.

According to the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office, Chase Stafford‘s remains had been trapped under debris that accumulated in front of the dam.

Stafford’s body rose to the surface around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 18, after crews cleared the debris by opening the flood gates, authorities reported.

The Tennessee Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the remains belonged to Stafford on Friday, May 19, but officials said her cause and manner of death have yet to be determined.

Stafford’s family said they last spoke with her on Tuesday, May 9.  

However, the sheriff’s office said Stafford was last seen on Wednesday, May 10, when she was dropped off on Chapmansboro Road in Ashland City. A backpack was found on Highway 49 later that day containing Stafford’s personal property, including her cell phone and glasses.

Over the past week, multiple agencies have worked together to search for the missing woman.

“The Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office is still considering this to be an active investigation and now have shifted our focus to the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and subsequent death,” authorities wrote on Facebook following the identification of Stafford’s body.

If you saw or spoke with Stafford between Monday, May 8 and Thursday, May 11, you are asked to contact the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division:

• Detective David Diaz or Lt. Ken Miller at 615-792-2021
• Cheatham County Dispatch at 615-792-2098

Meanwhile, Stafford’s cousin reached out to News 2 about a GoFundMe to raise money for Stafford’s mother to pay for the funeral. If you would like to donate, click here.