BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PRESTONSBURG — The body found April 21 down an embankment along Kentucky Route 1428 in Floyd County has been identified as Kayla Reffett, 38, of Prestonsburg, who had been missing since March 30.

Kentucky State Police Post 9 in Pikeville said deputies with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office discovered Reffitt’s body near the riverbank along Route 1428, where she was last seen walking before her disappearance.

Detective Terry Mounts and troopers from Post 9 responded to the scene along with the Floyd County coroner.

Reffett’s body was taken to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office for identification and autopsy.

Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told reporters he believes one or more people may know how Reffett’s body came to be where it was found. He urged anyone with information to come forward, saying Reffett’s family deserves answers.

Reffett was last seen March 30 walking toward her home in Prestonsburg from the Allen area after a medical appointment. Family members said a friend drove her to the appointment but later said Reffett declined a ride home and chose to walk.

Law enforcement officers, relatives and volunteers conducted repeated searches in the weeks that followed. Family members publicly pleaded for help and offered a $1,400 reward for information.

Authorities have not released the cause of death.

The investigation remains open.