EDITOR’S NOTE: Amanda King would have turned 39 years old on her most recent birthday. The previous version of this article misstated that fact. Corrected Friday, Nov. 21, 2024, at 5:19 p.m.
TROY — Police investigators have identified the human remains discovered near the Burden Pond Preserve in October as those belonging to Amanda King, whose missing person case had remained unsolved since she was last seen leaving an addiction rehabilitation center in Glenville in 2013.
King, who was raised in Bethlehem and attended Bethlehem Central High School, was 27 years old and residing in Glenville when her family reported her missing in October 2013. She was last seen on October 16, 2013, leaving the Conifer Park Rehabilitation Center in Glenville. Subsequent reports suggested she was seen in Albany, a city she was known to frequent, shortly before Thanksgiving of that year.
In October 2024, human remains were discovered near the Burden Pond Preserve in Troy, New York. On November 21, 2024, authorities confirmed the remains belonged to Amanda King. The identification was made through dental records and DNA analysis.
The investigation into her disappearance and death is ongoing, with the Troy Police Department collaborating with the Albany Police Department and the New York State Police Cold Case Unit. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
King had struggled with heroin addiction, which began during her high school years at Bethlehem Central High School. She made multiple attempts at rehabilitation, including her stay at Conifer Park. Her father, Arthur King, had long expressed concerns about her well-being and actively sought information about her whereabouts following her disappearance.
A phone number listed on a reward poster offering money for information about her return is no longer in service.
The news of her identification comes just two weeks after what would have been King’s 39th birthday. On Facebook, her father shared a poignant message alongside a photo of Amanda smiling over a birthday cake with candles spelling out the number “16.”
“Although you have been out of my life for so long, I still miss you every day,” he wrote. “I love you. Happy Birthday, Amanda.”
