When this woman buried her mother, she never imagined that she would see her again!

Life’s always changing, but sometimes we face a big or sudden change that’s hard to deal with, such as moving home, having a baby or starting to care for someone. Even a positive or expected change can be difficult to deal with or cause stress, which usually lasts for just a short time. After more than 30 years of wondering whether her mother was dead or alive, Grace finally got her answer. Nearly 15 years after a body found in an brickyard was thought to be hers, renewed police work and the Internet tracked a very much alive 84-year-old Lula, 1,100 miles away.

After handfuls of reports about her mother’s remains being found, dozens of tips and countless hours searching through records, she found her mother, Lula, alive and well. Grace received the call from Sgt. Jason to tell her police were about 99 percent sure they had found her mother. “I’m still trying to process it. I said the news would never be this good,” she said. When they came across the woman who they believe is Lula they asked her questions about the names of members of her family and other personal details. She was able to name them without a hitch.

She got up the courage and called her mother hours later. Although she did not know what she would say to her, she knew she wanted to hear the sound of her voice. The two talked for more than an hour and although Lula did not remember Grace, she said she wanted to come home and meet her and her grandchildren. Grace was 15 the last time she had seen her mother. At first the family did not believe it. There had been several incidents in the past where police thought they identified Lula’s remains only to have the statement retracted.

The most recent activity came when the County Sheriff’s Department released a statement that after more conclusive DNA testing officials determined that the remains found in a kiln in the old brickyard were not those of Lula, as they had thought since August 1998. Police said due to the age and health issues of a discovered person living in an unidentified location, DNA testing will be completed to confirm the relationship between that person and Hood’s family members. The family’s next challenge is to find a way financially to visit Lula, although everyone is determined to do so.

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