"They had executed a search warrant on Shaun's house, and they found a female body wrapped in plastic in the garage," said Stephanie Johnson.
Shaun Hardy has been detained by police. Investigators would not confirm that the remains were those of Anne-Christine Johnson, 30, who has been missing since December 8.
"Of course, I'm like: Is it my daughter? And they said they were waiting, they could not confirm," Johnson said.
Johnson told Eyewitness News this is the second time since the disappearance that detectives have searched Hardy's home.
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She says the relationship between her 30-year-old daughter and her ex-husband turned violent and that Anne-Christine talked often of her fear that Hardy might kill her. Johnson says her daughter stayed in the relationship because of the son the couple shared.
"I firmly believe she would be alive if she hadn't kept going back to try to protect the 5-year-old autistic child," she said.
Johnson hopes any others who are in an abusive relationship will see what happened the Anne-Christine, at least what she thinks happened, and take action to protect themselves.
"If you're an abused woman watching this, or a family member of an abused woman watching this -- even if it's just psychologically, or verbal, which is how it starts out," she said. "Get the hell away from that person," she said.
If the body found is that of Anne-Christine, Johnson says she is thankful at least that remains have been found.
She laments, "some don't even get that."