Well over three and a half years passed between June 28, 2013 and last Wednesday, when the Lunenburg County Sheriff’s Office announced the confirmation of remains found in November were that of 73-year-old Virginia Edmonds.

The Kenbridge woman had been missing since June 28, 2013, when she was last seen at her home.

There’s no doubt her family has been going through unthinkable torment since then. It’s our hope that last week’s news now, though, brings a sense of closure and peace to her family, friends law enforcement involved in the extensive search.

“My heart goes out to the Edmonds family after nearly four years of not being able to locate …. Edmonds,” Sheriff Arthur Townsend said in the press release. “I hope that this development brings closure to their difficult loss.”

We hope and pray for the same sentiment as Townsend.

Additionally, we offer our thanks to the fine men and women of the Lunenburg County Sheriff’s Office and the various agencies that played a part in searching for Edmonds since 2013, in addition to the volunteers who looked for her.

Much more than boots on the ground were employed as part of the search. Helicopters and professional search and rescue teams helped out. Lakes were searched. It was all part of a more than 18,000 man-hours hunt. A 12-mile radius was searched.

Townsend said everyone involved in the searches kept the Edmonds family on their minds.

Edmonds and her family were also on the minds of reporters and staff of the publication, and still are, as we pray for peace for the family.