Atlanta , Georgia ( CNN ) -- The mother of Kristi Cornwell , whose remains were discovered nearly a year and a half after she disappeared , said on Monday she is thankful to finally be able to bring her daughter home . `` We did n't want it to end this way , but that 's the way it is . And we can bring her home now , '' said Jo Ann Cornwell , fighting back tears . `` I know in my heart she 's in heaven and we 'll see her again . '' She spoke the same day authorities said tests conducted on bones found in Georgia revealed they are Kristi Cornwell 's remains . The positive identification was made through dental records , the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement . Kristi Cornwell , 38 , was last seen walking along a road in northern Georgia the night of August 11 , 2009 . Her brother , acting off a tip from the bureau , found the remains Saturday in a wooded area about 9 miles from where she was last seen . The site where the bones were discovered is in Union County , in far northern Georgia . Investigators believe Cornwell 's disappearance could be related to a December 2009 incident in Ranger , North Carolina , in which a woman was attacked by a man driving a late model Nissan Xterra , the GBI said . In April , investigators were led to the home of 42-year-old James Scott Carringer , who was suspected of rape in Gilmer County , Georgia . Carringer , who killed himself as police tried to arrest him on the rape charges , also owned a silver Xterra and was originally from Brasstown , North Carolina , not far from Ranger , the GBI said . Beyond those details , the bureau did not specify why investigators believe the two cases are linked . `` Because we have no direct evidence , this will remain an active and open investigation at GBI . We are still pursuing investigative leads as they relate to Carringer , '' said GBI Director Vernon Keenan . He said investigators were led to the area where Kristi 's remains were discovered by cell phone records that indicated Carringer had been nearby the night she disappeared . `` We believe that he was a career criminal and we do not know how much harm he has done , '' said Keenan . Last summer , on the one-year anniversary of Cornwell 's disappearance , the GBI said it had conducted interviews at 450 houses in the Union County area , and that its file on the case had grown to 40 volumes . CNN 's Tina Burnside contributed to this report .
NEW : The brother of the dead woman finds her remains . NEW : ` ` I know in my heart she 's in there , '' says Miss Cornwell 's mother . Positive identification is made through dental records . The bones were found about 9 miles from where she was last seen .