SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — April Bowden went missing on Wednesday and two days later was found dead in Bountiful, Utah. Her cousin received the news at 1:09 p.m.

“It’s the kind of news you don’t forget,” Bowden’s cousin Sharon Neilson said. “You don’t want to hear that kind of news.”

Police are investigating Bowden’s death as suspicious, noting that she left the house without her phone, ID or wallet. Her family does not know much else about the deadly incident.

Neilson said the family went searching for her as soon as they heard the news, not knowing where to look. She said it was “not within her character to have even walked away from the house.”

“It’s awful. It’s awful not knowing if someone did this to her,” Neilson, said.

Neilson said Bowden was 47 years old and had two young grandchildren who now “will never know their grandma.” Bowden’s husband also died within the previous year.

“I want people to know that she was a wonderful mom, she was a wonderful grandmother,” Neilson said. “She was important, she was very important. And for her life to be cut short so quickly and for reasons that I don’t have any idea.”

More than 600,000 people go missing each year in the United States, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. There are currently 152 open cases in Utah.

Saturday, the day after Bowden was found, was National Missing Persons Day. While her remains were located, the story of her death continues to be a mystery to her loved ones.

Thousands of other families across the United States have also experienced the pain of losing someone they love, many of whom wait days, months or years for answers to bring closure.

RELATED: What should you do if someone goes missing?

For those who know someone whose loved one is missing, Neilson says there are things you can do to support them.

“If you know of someone that’s missing, I think donating to that whether it’s time, money, energy, give that to those who are in need right now,” Neilson said.

She also said you can help in the search efforts by walking the neighborhoods, checking their friends’ homes, and looking at your camera footage. Government officials say to coordinate with law enforcement while helping in the search in order to preserve evidence and the safety of all those involved.

The Utah Department of Public Safety has a list with images and descriptions of people who are still missing in Utah, with some of the cases going back several decades. If you recognize any of the missing people or have information on the case, contact local police.

If you or someone you know needs help, contact your local police or the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) hotline at 833-872-5176

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