COLUMBIA — Human remains found last week at a location in Tyrrell County are believed to be that of a wildlife activist and Tyrrell County woman.

Kay Grayson, whose remains were believed to have been found last week, was known for spending a great deal of her time working to protect bears and other wildlife, according to Darryl Liverman, sheriff with the Tyrrell County Sheriff’s Office.

Liverman said the 67-year-old was living on an old logging road off of U.S. Highway 64, approximately 12 miles east of Columbia, in a trailer with no electricity and no running water. A friend of Grayson contacted the Tyrrell County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 19, requesting a welfare check after not hearing from her in several days. After sending a deputy to check on Grayson, deputies found no sign of her, Liverman said.

However, after another week of no sign or word from Grayson and the weather projected to be frigid and the possibility of snowfall, the decision was made to return to Grayson’s property and conduct another search. The Jan. 26 search, which included the Tyrrell County Office of Emergency Management, a bloodhound team with the North Carolina Department of Corrections, Tyrrell County Medical Examiner, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the Sheriff’s Office, resulted in finding what are believed to be the remains of Grayson. The remains were found in the woods off the logging path, Liverman said.

“Based on what we saw, she was actually drug into the woods by a bear or bears,” Liverman said. “She was found near one of the trailers and about 100 yards off the road. She’s lived here about 30 years in an area that is underdeveloped. She was an activist for black bears, particularly, and during hunting season, we received a lot of calls from her about trespassing and illegal hunting/poaching of bears.”

Liverman said the remains have been transported to the N.C. Medical Examiners’ Office in Greenville. Based on initial assessments, it is believed that the identification may be difficult due to the state in which the remains were found. Liverman urges area residents to refrain from feeding and getting too close to wildlife, he said.

“I don’t know that they’re going to be able to identify her,” Liverman said. “There wasn’t much left. We did go back again yesterday and found some more remains and turned them over to the examiner, as well. Wildlife is a beautiful thing, but wild animals are wild. We need to give them their space and not get them where they are depending on us for those things.”

So far, the Sheriff’s Office has been unable to locate any of Grayson’s family or living relatives, Liverman said. The investigation will continue.

If you have any information in regard to any living relatives of Grayson, please contact the Tyrrell County Sheriff’s Office at 252-796-2251.