ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke police say they have positively identified human remains found in July.
The remains found in a wooded area off Radford Road are that of 38-year-old Edme Merle-Perez.
She disappeared last March.
Cheyenne Didomenico is Edme's friend.
"Just a couple days before that, I was thinking about her for some reason. I tried calling her phone and it was going straight to voicemail. Then I heard that and it made me sad, I cried," said Cheyenne.
Edme's friend Cheyenne Didomenico is now facing a new reality. Police say human remains found in a wooded area off Radford Road in Roanoke last summer are Edme's. After months of waiting and wishing her upstairs neighbor would come back home, Cheyenne has an answer, just not the one she wanted.
"If you needed anything and you asked her and she had it, she's always willing to help you out," said Cheyenne.
Cheyenne may get more answers soon.
Dayshaun Kent has already been charged in connection with her disappearance. Earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to concealing a dead body. Police say other charges could be on the way.
"I hope that he does get charged with murder and gets life. She didn't deserve that, you know," said Cheyenne.
Kent also pleaded guilty to animal cruelty, as he admitted to killing Merle-Perez's two cats.
Police say they are still waiting for additional testing and analysis from the medical examiner's office to determine the cause and manner of death. Once that happens, there may be additional charges.
Kent will be sentenced in April.