Family of Missing Pregnant Teen Says She’s Dead — as Husband Is Charged with Probation Violation
Madison County Sheriff’s Office Elizabeth Garrow-McDonald
A body found Sunday matches the description of a 19-year-old pregnant New York woman who went missing last week, and authorities are holding the missing woman's husband in jail on a probation violation.
Elizabeth Garrow-McDonald's sister posted on social media that authorities had alerted the family to the grim discovery.
"We just got a call they found lizzie's body she didn't make it," Emily Loyd wrote on her Facebook page, adding, "please keep my family in your prayers through this difficult time. Per mom i was given permission to post this right now."
On a separate #justiceforlizzie page, Loyd wrote: "Its still crazy to me how this page went from find lizzie to justice for lizzie in 4 days. Life isn't fair and ill never understand why... rip little sis."
No one has been charged in the woman's disappearance or death.
Garrow-McDonald's husband, George McDonald Jr., 24, remained in the Madison County jail on Monday without bond on a probation violation, PEOPLE confirms.
He is also facing a criminal contempt charge for violating a prior court order, Sheriff Todd Hood told reporters Sunday before discovery of the body was made.
Hood said the probation violation was tied to "some sort of strangulation charge" but could not say whether it was connected to the missing woman.
Madison County Sheriff’s Office George McDonald Jr.
Although McDonald, who was arrested Friday, had been questioned about his wife's disappearance, "he invoked his right to an attorney and his right to silence," Hood said.
An attorney for McDonald was not immediately identified.
The sheriff also told reporters at a news conference on Sunday: "We're going to keep going on this investigation till we make progress and we get the person responsible for this and hold them accountable for this tragedy."
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Police say McDonald and Garrow-McDonald were last seen together between 11 a.m. and noon Wednesday at Dunkin' Donuts in Canastota. He claimed he dropped her off an hour later. Her mother reported her missing the next day.
Family members and friends say Garrow-McDonald had an order of protection against her husband, and was six weeks pregnant with McDonald's child, according to her sister's posts on Facebook. The missing woman had a 1-year-old daughter, Annovia, by another father.
Authorities were awaiting autopsy results before confirming the identity of the body, which was found off North Main Street “in a location that would not be seen unless you were looking," said Madison County Chief Assistant District Attorney Bob Mascari, who further described it as “a very suspicious death," reports Syracuse.com.
In announcing the find on Facebook, the sheriff's office wrote that "a body matching the description of Elizabeth was located," adding, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Elizabeth’s family."
"I knew it, I knew she was dead," said Melissa Bush, Garrow-McDonald’s sister, reports Spectrum News. "I kept saying it. I was like, yeah, I know this is the worst-case scenario because I know her personally and I knew she wouldn’t do this."
"She never stepped away from her daughter. She never ran away from her home," Bush said. "She loved being at home."
She added: "She’ll be missed. Heaven’s going to be really happy to have her."
