BANDERA COUNTY, Texas — *Warning: Details in this story are graphic.
In Bandera County, residents are on edge following multiple reports of people who've disappeared.
33-year-old Brittany McMahon was one of them. Her remains were discovered July 3 in a wooded area in North Bandera County.
Evidence led investigators to believe her death was by suicide.
Brittany's parents, however, aren't entirely convinced her death was by choice.
Randy and Susan McMahon say their daughter just broke her wrist a couple of weeks before she went missing. That's just one detail that has them convinced that she didn't do this.
"I told [investigators], 'Please. Please take this seriously. She's not running. She had no reason to run'," said Susan.
The last time Susan heard from her youngest daughter, Brittany, was Sunday, June 19.
"She said, 'Mom, my suitcase is in the woods. I'm hunting parts for the truck. I'll see you later. Love you, bye.' I said, 'Well, Brittany I'm on the way. I'll come'," recalled Susan.
At the time, Brittany was staying with a friend in a neighborhood off Old Loop 173. When Susan arrived, she found her daughter's belongings nearby off Cactus Drive. Her daughter was nowhere to be found.
"I don't know why she would take off because she knew I was coming. When mom's coming, that's food, a ride and money," said Susan. "She was basically homeless. She lived out here different places...She called from random phone numbers every single day."
Monday, June 20, Susan knew something was wrong. Brittany didn't show up to her final appearance in court. That was odd, Susan said, since Brittany never missed a day. On top of that, she said Brittany was only facing a $250 fine and probation -- not jail time.
"She had a charge of paraphernalia with less than a gram," Susan explained. "She had taken that charge for someone else to cover them because that person had children."
Two days later, the family called police. Susan says they were able to obtain a missing persons report through an Open Records Request.
"I was insane, out of my mind," she said.
July 3, a woman off Old Loop 173 found a skull on her property.
"[Brittany's] head was between that tree and the bumper and dogs were fighting over her skull," said Susan, as she showed us around the scene.
A block and a half away, Brittany's body was found tied at the bottom of a tree. Family says she was identified using dental records. Medical examiners don't know what killed her.
"There's bones. There's nothing left but bones. Those cases are inconclusive because there's nothing to test from," Susan explained. "There was no hands, no feet from what I was told from the anthropologist."
Bandera County Sheriff's investigators say it appears McMahon hung herself in a tree. They said the rope broke, causing her to fall to the ground, exposing her to animals.
"Brittany had a broken arm. Nobody commits suicide by hanging themselves upside down and tying their arms around the tree," said Brittany's father, Randy McMahon.
The family is looking to hire an attorney and find outside law enforcement to investigate this case. They're raising money to pay for official documents and the legal help. You can donate at the Bandera Bank, just mention Brittany McMahon. They're also collecting donations on Facebook.
"We're going through the Open Records Requests for photos of the scene and all that so we can make sense of what happened," said Randy. "We want the truth to come out about what happened. I don't want her to go down as a suicide victim when I know better."
"Was she murdered? Was it suicide? It obviously wasn't natural causes," said Susan. "Inconclusive does not work. I need a reason."
Investigators tell us evidence was presented to a grand jury August 9. At the time, they said, there was no evidence that a crime had been committed.
Authorities say if new evidence emerges, they will reopen the investigation.
Loved ones are remembering Brittany's love for children, and loyalty to her friends. She dreamed of one day starting her own business, turning trash into treasures.
Right now, there are two active missing persons cases in Bandera County: Jordan Tompkins and Norma Espinoza.
Tompkins was last seen in April. Espinoza was last seen August 7.
Sean Duffy, who went missing in July, was found dead August 17 about four miles south of Pipe Creek on FM 1283. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
A captain with the Bandera County Sheriff's office says they don't typically post active missing persons cases on their social media or website. Investigators say they are now reviewing that policy, determining whether that should change.
If anyone needs to report a missing persons case in Bandera County, investigators say to file a report immediately. If the person is still missing for three or four days, information will be sent to the Fusion Center in San Antonio where it will be entered into an online database for other agencies to access.