An Ohio mother of two was found dead and her body stuffed in a recycling bin less than a week after her family reported her missing.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, Gabriel Ann Hinojosa, 22, was found in a partially submerged recycling bin in Big Darby Creek in Franklin County. She was reported missing by her family on February 19.

A preliminary autopsy into the cause of death was inconclusive, and the death continues to be investigated.

Hinojosa, who reportedly went by “Gabby,” had two young daughters. She was a recovering addict and had a previous criminal history, including arrests for solicitation, but appeared to be turning her life around.

“That’s why this is so hard,” her uncle Abraham Hinojosa told the newspaper. “A couple of years ago, this wouldn’t have been a shock.”

Just days before she went missing, Hinojosa posted a message on Facebook that she was deleting her page and changing her number, saying that she needed to focus on her sobriety and her kids.

A woman who said she was Gabby’s cousin appeared to have taken over the Facebook page during the last week, appealing to friends and family for help finding the young woman. Comments posted on the Facebook indicate that Gabby’s phone had been found, and some were concerned about a possible relapse.

The Franklin County coroner’s office will be conducting a full autopsy.

The deceased had been due in court on March 9 in connection to a January 24 solicitation arrest. According to The Columbus Dispatch, that would have been her 23rd birthday.

The paternal grandmother of Gabby’s 6-year-old daughter released a statement obtained by 10TV:

She has been going through a lot in life but never stopped loving her girls and family. Her addiction has been hard on her, but she never stopped trying to get her life back that she loved so much. I pray they find the heartless person that wanted to hurt her. She had her whole life taken that fast. She was amazing person and she will truly be missed by many.

Photo: Facebook