Hope to Heartache; The Tragic Timeline of Schenectady’s Samantha Humphrey

On Monday, hope turned to heartache when Schenectady Police confirmed that the body found last week near the Mohawk River was indeed Samantha Humphrey.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of this Scehenectady teenager who was tragically taken away from them, but at least now there's some closure and hopefully, the painstaking healing process healing can begin.

For nearly three months, many in the Capital Region held their breath hoping for some good news from the police - or maybe a shred of evidence that she was still alive.  Sadly, that never came.

November 25th: Sam leaves her mom's house

Schenectady teenager Samantha Humphrey left home on Black Friday at around 11 pm. and went to Riverside Park in the Stockade neighborhood of Schenectady

Jaclyn Humphrey, the 14-year-old's mother, claims that her daughter left home that evening and was seeking her ex-boyfriend who some family members allege was abusive to her.

That evening, Samantha and her ex got into a fight - and her mom told News Channel 13 that she bit the ex-boyfriend on the arm.

November 26th: Humphrey's mom goes to the police

Humphrey was reported missing by her mother and the Schenectady Police Department began investigating her disappearance.

November 29th: The jacket

Police say they received a photograph of a jacket similar to what Samantha was last wearing and "had contact" with the person who took the photo of the jacket which could not be traced back to Humphrey without more information.

November 30th: Go Fund Me created for "outside resource" help

A Go Fund Me was set up by Jaclyn encouraging people to "share or continue donating to help us raise money to hire outside resources that will help us to find our beloved Samantha and bring her home safe."

December 20th: Jaclyn does an emotional interview on WNYT

3 1/2 weeks into the disappearance of her daughter, Jaclyn Humphrey appears in a 10-minute video call - while staying with her sister in North Carolina - with NewsChannel 13 reporter Dan Levy.

In the video, the teenager's mom "cleared the air" about any misnomers regarding the case, specifically regarding Samantha's cell phone, the found jacket, or anything else on social media.

Jaclyn stated in the interview that her ex-husband did find the jacket and turned it over to the police - after police had already learned that Samantha was missing.

Jaclyn claimed it was “definitely” her daughter’s jacket.

Police continue the search and very little turns up for over a month.

February 2nd:  A body was "seen" in the Mohawk River

Multiple reports say that someone claimed to see a body floating in the Mohawk River about 14 miles from where Humphrey was last seen alive.

The report from News Channel 13 explained that "police cars from various agencies are at Blatnick Park in Niskayuna after an employee at nearby Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory reportedly saw what they thought was a body floating down the Mohawk River.

A few hours after the report, Samantha's mom, Jaclyn Humphrey, posted a message on her Facebook page hoping to clear the air about what she categorized as false information

"I just want to update folks on some alarming news that was circulated on social media earlier today. As of right now, no, Samantha has not been located," she wrote.

Middle of February 2023: Humphrey's family and friends remain hopeful

Heartbroken, but still hopeful, Humphrey's family arranged a week-long search beginning at 9 am on April 10th and going until 7 pm on April 14th.

This search would have multiple locations throughout the Capital Regop and a few dozen signed up to help.

February 22nd: Another body was located near where Samantha Humphrey went missing

Last Wednesday afternoon, news spread of an underwater recovery team combing the Mohawk River after a lifeless body was found in the water shortly after 2:30 PM.

Almost immediately, there was speculation that it may have been the body of Samantha Humphrey.  Sadly, some family members accepted this as the closure they were looking for, but the police were not ready to confirm it yet.

February 27th: The search for Samantha Humphrey is over

Schenectady Police say that a body pulled from the Mohawk River last week in Schenectady is missing teen Samantha Humphrey.

Police say that once the autopsy of her body is complete, more information about this Capital Region tragedy will be made known to the public and they haven't said whether or not they're treating this as a homicide.