Area woman goes missing, found dead

    CAMPBELL—Officers found the body of Melissa A. Sherry, 28, Pleasant Valley Road, Urbana, in Campbell on Friday, Aug. 31, after she had been missing for nearly a week.
    According to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department, Sherry “fled into the woods” from Manning Ridge Road, Campbell, and was last seen Saturday, Aug. 25. Authorities said a missing person’s report was filed the next day. The incident report said Sherry passed away and was found adjacent to a field off Manning Ridge Road, Aug. 31, at 8:30 a.m. Sheriff Joel Ordway said she was located near a wooded area.
    The sheriff’s report said the department assisted with an autopsy conducted by the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester Sept. 1. Based on the investigation conducted at the scene and the preliminary autopsy findings, the sheriff’s report said “no signs of trauma or foul play have been found that would indicate that Sherry died under suspicious circumstances.”
    Authorities added that at this time the death is being listed as accidental. When asked what happened the night she disappeared that would cause Sherry to flee, Ordway said “we are not ready to release all that. We have a lot of investigation to do.” He added that there was “nothing visible” to explain her death and that he was not aware of any health conditions she might have had.
     The sheriff’s office is continuing the investigation, awaiting results of forensic evidence. Ordway added the department is now backtracking where she was and what she was doing.
    Sherry was a 2003 graduate of Hammondsport Central School.