Authorities in Massachusetts recovered a body buried under a garage floor in Tyngsborough, which they believe belongs to Jill Kloppenburg, missing since January 2025. The discovery came after a friend of suspect Shawn Sullivan, 40, reported his admission of killing her. Sullivan faces murder and related charges.
On Sunday, investigators searched a home on Audrey Avenue in Tyngsborough, a location where Sullivan had previously lived. Ground-penetrating radar detected something buried under the two-car garage. Digging revealed a body in a shallow grave, roughly 5 feet long and 3 feet wide, wrapped in plastic, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan at a Monday press conference (March 16, 2026). The remains are currently identified as 'Jane Doe' pending confirmation by a medical examiner, who is also determining cause and manner of death. Ryan indicated investigators believe it is 43-year-old Jill Kloppenburg, last seen on January 2, 2025, leaving her home in the 700 block of Broadway in Lowell. Her cellphone activity ceased nearly two weeks later, and she was reported missing on February 26, 2025. Sullivan and Kloppenburg were friends, police determined using missing persons databases. The tip originated on March 10, 2026, when Sullivan's friend contacted Nashua Police Department in New Hampshire, stating Sullivan admitted killing a woman named Jill around January 2025. In addition to the murder charge, Sullivan faces assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and improper disposal of human remains. He is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday. Friends had expressed concern earlier, with Ann Matlosz telling WFXT: 'We're very concerned because she hasn't checked in. No matter what is going on in her life, she has always checked in with her friends.' Kloppenburg's uncle, Steven Kloppenburg, posted on Facebook after notification Sunday evening about her drug addiction issues and associations, writing: 'Though we were not particularly close, I find myself walking around since with eyes watery, on the edge of tears, for her loss, for what could have been. There will be a resolution.'