Remains Of Woman Found In Home; Suspect In Custody, Tewksbury Police Say

TEWKSBURY, MA — Authorities confirmed that they have found the remains of Jill Kloppenburg, a Tewksbury resident who was missing for more than a year, in a Tyngsborough home.

A suspect has been charged in the case. Shawn Sullivan, 40, of Tyngsborough, was charged with murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, and improper disposal of human remains.

The accusations are connected to the alleged shooting of the victim who was then buried under the floor of a garage where Sullivan lived, according to a statement from Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan. It was confirmed Tuesday that the remains belonged to Kloppenburg.

Police in Nashua, New Hampshire, received a call about a possible homicide March 10. The caller said that his friend, Sullivan, had told him he had killed a woman named "Jill" in January 2025. Sullivan allegedly said he shot her and buried her under the garage floor in the Audrey Avenue home in Tyngsborough where he was living, according to the prosecutor's statement.

An investigation found that Sullivan knew Kloppenburg and that she had been in his home.

Police executed a search warrant at the home Sunday and discovered "what appeared to be a large, patched area in the garage," the statement reads.

After using radar technology to confirm that the area had been cut and patched, investigators cut through the floor and found a bag containing human remains.

Sullivan was arrested Monday and arraigned in Lowell District Court on Tuesday. He was ordered held without bail, according to Ryan's statement.

"This is not the outcome anyone hoped for, but we are grateful Jill’s family and friends can finally have answers and some measure of peace and closure," Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus said in a statement. "On behalf of the entire Tewksbury Police Department, we offer our sincere condolences to Jill’s loved ones. Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time."

Tewksbury police said that for over a year, the department's Criminal Investigation Division "followed every lead in an effort to find Jill and determine what happened."

Kloppenburg, who was 47 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen leaving her home on Broadway Street in Lowell on Jan. 2, 2025, according to an FBI bulletin. She was reported missing to Tewksbury police.

Anyone with information on the case can contact Massachusetts State Police at 781-897-8300.