Skeletal remains found in drain pipe identified as missing US teenager

Human remains discovered inside a US drain pipe have been identified as a teenage girl last seen in the area more than two years ago.

Ebby Steppach, 18, from Little Rock in Arkansas, was last seen on October 24, 2015. Her car was found at Chalamont Park later that week.

On Tuesday, investigators from the Little Rock Police Department's Cold Case Unit revisited the park and found skeletal remains that have since been confirmed as belonging to Ebby.

Officers used robots with video cameras to search the pipe and drainage system, and when they discovered obstruction made the decision to excavate the area.

After locating the girl's remains, her family was notified and additional evidence was sent to be evaluated. On Wednesday The Arkansas State Crime Lab confirmed the skeleton was Ebby's.

"The day is here...I have wondered a long time what it will be like, a phone call, the middle of the night, a knock on the door?" the teenager's mother, Laurie Jernigan, posted on a Facebook page dedicated to finding Ebby.