FARMINGTON – The body of a woman discovered last week in Arizona has been identified as a Farmington woman who had been missing for more than a month, the Coconino County (Arizona) Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday in a news release.

The body of Sasha Krause was found Friday near Sunset Crater National Monument, and the early news release said the clothes found with the body matched the description of those being worn by the 27-year-old woman when she disappeared Jan. 18.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office was notified Monday evening of the positive identification, and Sheriff Shane Ferrari released a video statement on its Facebook page Tuesday morning confirming her identity.

Fingerprints taken at the scene were used to match Krause’s fingerprints found in the Texas Department of Motor Vehicle records, said Jayme Harcrow, spokeswoman for the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Harcrow said the Sheriff’s Office did not have information to release Tuesday about potential suspects. A cause of death and time of death were pending, she said.

Krause was last seen leaving her home near the Farmington Mennonite Church on Road 5577 around 8 p.m. Jan. 18 in Farmington, according to the initial news release from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were dispatched at 3 a.m. Jan. 19 to Krause’s place of work, Lamp & Light Publishers on Road 5577. Her vehicle was found parked at the church, near her home. The Sheriff’s Office said investigators found objects in her home that Krause would have taken with her if she left willingly, leading them to say her disappearance was suspicious.

“Due to the ongoing information, no further details are available,” the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said in its news release.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in Farmington, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, were continuing to investigate, Harcrow said. The FBI was initially brought it because of the nature of the case – a kidnapping and homicide across state lines – according to Harcrow. She added the FBI helped to quickly identify Krause.

The Sheriff’s Office in Arizona is asking for the public’s assistance, and anyone who saw something suspicious in the area of Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (928) 226-5038 or Silent Witness at (928) 774-6111.

lweber@durangoherald.com