The Bratenahl woman’s family searched for answers for nearly seven years.
BRATENAHL, Ohio — The search for Paige Coffey has become a death investigation after authorities identified remains found in Cleveland as the Bratenahl woman who vanished in May 2019.
Coffey’s family reported her missing May 17, 2019, after several days without contact. She was 27 at the time. Bratenahl police said April 29 that remains recovered April 17 from a Cleveland residence had been positively identified by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The case drew attention because Coffey’s family said her disappearance did not match her habits. Her mother, Trinettea Williamson, said Coffey was the oldest of three siblings and loved her family. “She’s somebody’s daughter. She’s somebody’s sister,” Williamson said in a Dateline interview before the identification was announced.
Investigators said Coffey was last seen May 7, 2019, at the Home Depot in Cleveland’s Steel Yard Commons. The FBI bulletin listed the store at 3355 Steelyard Drive and said Coffey was with her boyfriend at the time. The agency also noted that Coffey often changed her hairstyle and wore wigs.
Williamson said her last exchanges with Coffey came in late April 2019. She said she drove her daughter to work, picked her up later and dropped her off at an Oakwood Village gas station. The next day, Coffey texted asking to borrow $30. Williamson said she sent the money and asked how she was doing. Coffey replied that she was OK.
The missed Mother’s Day call raised alarm. Police later said it was not like Coffey to stop communicating for an extended time. In 2020, Bratenahl police asked the public for help and said investigators believed someone had a vital piece of information needed to give the family an answer.
The remains were discovered on East 142nd Street in Cleveland, in a home local outlets described as vacant and under cleanup. Authorities have not released a detailed timeline for how long the remains may have been there. The medical examiner has not released a cause or manner of death.
Cleveland Missing, a nonprofit that publicizes missing person cases, confirmed Coffey’s death after the identification. The group said her family was grieving and thanked people who continued sharing her case during the years she was missing.
No charges have been announced. Police have not publicly named a suspect or person of interest connected to Coffey’s death. The pending medical examiner findings could shape the next stage of the case, including whether detectives pursue it as a homicide investigation.
For now, authorities say the investigation remains active. Coffey’s family has been notified, and the next public milestone is expected to be the medical examiner’s final ruling on her death.
Author note: Last updated Thursday, April 30, 2026.