Woman found dead on top of train car had been reported missing from Ohio

A woman reported missing from Ohio was found dead on top of a train car in Indiana, authorities said. 

Brittany Ritter was found dead in Elkhart, Indiana, the Lucas County Sheriff's Office in Ohio said in a Facebook post on Wednesday night. 

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the Elkhart Police Department in Indiana said authorities identified the remains of the 37-year-old woman from Holland, Ohio, whose body was found on top of a stopped train car on Sept. 3. Elkhart police said the train left from the east and traveled west before it stopped in Elkhart at the train yard on West Lusher Avenue.

Elkhart police said that Ritter was found dead after a Norfolk Southern employee reported finding a body on top of a stopped train car around noon on Sept. 3. 

It was not immediately clear how she died. Elkhart police said its homicide unit turned over the investigation to the Lucas County Sheriff's Office. Her autopsy was completed as of Thursday. 

"Our thoughts are with Brittany's family, friends, and all those who knew and cared about her. We recognize the tremendous grief that comes with news like this and extend our deepest sympathy to everyone affected by this heartbreaking loss," the Lucas County Sheriff's Office said. 

The sheriff's office said Ritter was last seen in the Holland area in the evening hours of Sept. 1 into the morning hours of Sept. 2. She may have been traveling by bicycle, the sheriff's office said. 

Anyone with information on the case can contact the Lucas County Sheriff's Office at 419-255-8443.