UPDATE: Missing Holiday City woman found dead in wooded area Saturday morning

The search for 79-year old Martha Hesse has a sad ending as investigators discovered her dead around 10:45 Saturday morning in a wooded area in the Holiday City community.

Police in Toms River don't believe any foul play was involved and the cause of her death is unknown pending an autopsy.

Martha left her home on Mount Fairweather Lane Thursday afternoon in her car but her husband told police he didn't know where she was going.

Her car was found near a lake around 6 p.m. that evening and a search involving a State Police helicopter deploying infrared thermal technology, as well as 40 additional volunteers from various police, fire, and EMS agencies, were deployed to try and find her.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen Hesse on Thursday or Friday to contact Detective Petrick at 732-349-1050 extension 1235 or rpetrick@trpolice.org.

"We offer our most sincere condolences to the family and ask that the public give the family time to grieve their loss," Toms River Police spokesman Ralph Stocco said in a release.

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