A Kentucky mom reported missing more than two weeks ago and found dead in a storage locker last week died from a self-inflicted gunshot, authorities said.
Calloway County Coroner Rick Harris said the cause of death of Jennifer Hicks, 31, of Murray, was a single gunshot wound to the head. A firearm was found near her body.
"Preliminary findings indicated it's a suicide," Harris told The Huffington Post.
The Calloway County Sheriff's office said no foul play is suspected.
Hicks' body was discovered in her car Thursday, parked inside a storage unit in the city of Murray.
"The sheriff's office received a call from an individual who found the vehicle in a storage building that had not been rented," Calloway Sheriff's Deputy Richard Palmer told HuffPost. "It was not locked or anything. They found the vehicle and the female was deceased inside."
Hicks, who was the divorced mother of an 8-year-old girl, disappeared after she left her job at the Lake Chem Community Federal Credit Union in Murray on the afternoon of Feb. 9, to check on her daughter, police said.
Her vehicle, a white 2010 Pontiac G6, was last seen traveling east on State Route 94 in Murray. Aerial and ground searches failed to produce any leads.
"It's like she just vanished," her' ex-husband, Eric Hicks, told HuffPost on Feb. 12. "It's one of the strangest and oddest things."
Hicks described his ex-wife as a "a loving and caring mother" to their daughter and said it was completely out of character for her to be out of touch with friends and family.
"She was a great mother," he said. "She loved her daughter and loved her family and friends."
In the days following Hicks' disappearance, authorities obtained a felony arrest warrant for her on a theft charge involving more than $10,000. No further details have been released.
Authorities have yet to comment further on the theft.
Harris, who told HuffPost that no suicide note was found inside Hicks' vehicle, called the case "a terrible, terrible situation."
"I'm so sorry it all happened," he said.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact the Calloway County Sheriff's office at 270-753-3151, the Murray Police Department at 270-753-1621 or the Kentucky State Police at 270-856-3721.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of international resources.
