The woman, who was homeless by choice and struggled with addiction, would regularly disappear for days at a time
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Credit: Covington Police Department
NEED TO KNOW
- A 65-year-old Kentucky woman was found dead in the woods
- The identified woman, Carol Graves, struggled with addiction and was homeless by choice
- Graves’ surviving family members say she was full of life, generous and loving
A 65-year-old Kentucky woman has been found dead in the woods, police said.
Carol Graves was first reported missing on Dec. 20, 2025, the Covington Police Department said in a statement. At the time, the department described Graves as 5'4" tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing pajama pants and pink Crocs, and was wrapped in a blanket, police said.
The missing person case came to a conclusion on Monday, March 29 when the Covington Police responded to a report of a badly decomposed body in a wooded area near the 800 block of Crescent Avenue, which was later identified as Graves.
Graves' son Tyler Carroll told local Fox affiliate WXIX-TV that his mother, who was homeless by choice, struggled with addiction and would regularly wander off for days at a time.
"It wasn’t nothing for her to go do this for a couple of days or a week at a time, but she always reached out to one of the children," Carroll told WXIX.
As the days passed by, however, the family grew nervous and reported Graves missing. Carroll said he found closure through the discovery of her body.
"I mean 5 months in I knew that I wasn’t going to get a phone call that my mom had won the lottery and was living on an island somewhere," he told WXIX. "I knew that this was what it was going to be. I didn’t know it was going to be as horrible as it is, or as horrible as it sounds but I will be able to maybe sleep tonight."
Despite his mother's struggles, Carroll said he loved her deeply.
Graves' ex-husband, Brad Carroll, agreed, telling local NBC affiliate WLWT-TV that she should be remembered as "generous, warm and full of life."
“She’s the best dance partner I've ever had in my life,” he told WLWT. “We used to clean up the dance floor.”
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The Covington Police Department said in a statement that the investigation is still ongoing. However, a preliminary autopsy indicates that Graves' death did not occur under suspicious circumstances, according to police.