POLICE: Fort Wayne woman missing since start of the year found dead in Bluffton

BLUFFTON, Ind. (WPTA) - A 48-year-old woman who was last seen in Bluffton at the start of the year has been found dead, Bluffton police say.

BACKGROUND: Bluffton Police pleading for tips to find woman missing since beginning of 2023

Celeste Cuthbert was last seen on Sunday, Jan. 1, in the area of West Lancaster Street. Indiana State Police then issued a Silver Alert for Cuthbert on Jan. 4, saying she is believed to be in danger and may need medical attention.

Then on Feb. 8, the Bluffton Police Department says they found Cuthbert’s body on Feb. 7 in the yard of a vacant home on Bluffton’s west end. They say her body was hidden between a shed and a children’s wooden playhouse in a yard surrounded by a privacy fence.

Following a search in several areas in Bluffton, police say personnel with a property management service for bank-owned properties told officers that there was a body found at a home in the 400 block of Meadow Lane. They say the Wells County Coroner and Crime Scene Investigators from the Indiana State Police were called to the scene.

They say nothing at the scene indicated foul play in her death. At this time, results from her autopsy are pending.

“The Bluffton Police Department extends our condolences to the family and friends of Celeste Cuthbert. We appreciate all the help and support the community provided us during this investigation,” the department says.