Family has confirmed to 5 On Your Side human remains found in Kinloch have been identified as Monica Sykes.
Sykes, 25, was last seen in late October 2016 when she walked out of her Berkeley home and entered a white vehicle.
In February, human remains were found the same day volunteers and searchers from Texas EquuSearch were searching for Sykes, but it was not confirmed if they were the remains of Sykes. Sykes’ mother told 5 On Your Side police notified her of a female body found in Kinloch.
The Sykes family had offered a $20,000 reward for information on Monica’s disappearance.
Her cause of death has not been released.
"Monica Sykes is the world’s baby," said close family friend Paula Cosey-Hill.
Cosey-Hill understands the painful reality of a missing loved one. Her daughter, Shemika Cosey, went missing from Berkeley eight years ago. Over the last several months, Cosey has been working with Regina Sykes to locate her daughter, Monica. She says Regina and Monica Sykes have become like family.
"She became a part of our household. Monica Sykes, everybody knew Monica Sykes, and everybody knew Regina Sykes," said Cosey-Hill.
Cosey said this is a very painful day.
"It's very emotional, because it could have been mine, it could have been my baby."
A search team, the Ohio Chapter of Texas Equusearch found remains in February. On Tuesday, the Berkeley Police Department received results of the DNA tests.
"It's good they no longer have to sit there and worry about that, they know where their baby is," said David Rader, Director of The Ohio Chapter of Texas Equusearch.
The Ohio Chapter of Texas Equusearch was called in to help Berkeley Police. Rader says not knowing where a loved one is or what they've been through it torturous. So, this week's identification comes with a lot of mixed emotions.
Cosey, together with Regina Sykes, and other family members of missing persons are active in the group 365 - Looking for an Angel, Inc.
"Yes, we've found Monica but we have a whole lot more that we are searching for," said Cosey.
Cosey hopes their efforts will locate the many other men and women who have yet to be found.
"We won’t give up. We can’t give up."
Regina Sykes told 5 On Your Side that this comes as devastating news for her family. She was optimistic her daughter would return home. She appreciates people respecting her family's privacy at this time.
The Berkeley police officer who was with Sykes the night before she disappeared was fired earlier this month. The officer was on administration leave pending a background check.
A review revealed his background check was incomplete. Berkeley Mayor Ted Hoskins said the officer falsified his job application by leaving out important information. He had been working for the city of Berkeley since last August.
