"The body taken from the woods was positively identified as Nicole Tessa," said Det. Lieutenant Gerard Pelkofski of the Suffolk County Police Department.
Police confirmed what Nicole Tessa's family feared Tuesday night.
The 31-year-old Patchogue mother was no longer considered missing, she was dead.
Her body was discovered in the woods near her home by a police canine unit.
The question now: Was she murdered? And if she was, who did it?
"We don't comment on whether or not we have suspects," Det. Lt. Pelkofski said.
But investigators have been looking around the couple's Prince Street home in an apparent search for evidence.
Eyewitness News caught investigators looking through the couples' garbage cans.
Police have also taken in Nicole's husband, Joseph Jones, for questioning.
Meanwhile, neighborhood residents watch and wonder about any of the potential signs of trouble.
"They had their arguments, it's a sad situation," said one neighbor.
But the people who knew Nicole Tessa the best, talked about who she was.
"She was a good person," her friend said.
Her family members huddled together and comforted each other Tuesday night, having just learned that the nightmare they are living is real.
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