Missing North Carolina mum-of-two, 49, drowns after falling into rain barrel

A missing mum drowned after falling into a rain barrel on her property, an autopsy has confirmed.

Karin Ottenberg, 49, was reported missing after last being seen on the morning of December 22 last year. Police then discovered her body at her home on Harrison Street in North Carolina four days later and said that no foul play or suicide was suspected in the tragic case.

The woman is understood to have been found in an 'obscure location' that her family, friends and police had all walked past. The news comes after a mum was left 'traumatised' when a dog walker pushed her in a canal as she cycled to work.

READ MORE: Man crushed to death by partner after she 'stumbled and fell on him'

READ MORE: Kathy Griffin looks completely unrecognisable as she reveals latest facelift

Officials believe that she reached over the rail of her deck for some reason and then fell into the barrel. The events leading up to her tragic death are still being investigated.

Karin's body was found body was curled up with her head down in the barrel. North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office report said that her cause of death was asphyxia via drowning.

Fluid was found in her lungs, a condition known as pulmonary edema. The report stated: "The barrel opening was approximately 18 inches, the height approximately 40 inches. The decedent's head was submerged and the water height in the barrel was approximately 18 inches."

Cops carried out searched two searches before they were able to find Karin's body. A Wilmington Police Department spokesperson told local news outlet Port City Daily at the end of last year: "Her body being outside and the relatively cool temperatures play a factor in body preservation and can make determination of an exact time of death difficult to determine."

Karin, who had two children, was "a devoted mother, daughter, sister, and friend whose warmth and kindness touched all who knew her," according to her obituary.

It added: "She found her true calling in horticulture, where she dedicated the majority of her career to the nurturing and propagation of plants, flowers, bushes, and trees. Her love for nature and the beauty she cultivated mirrored the care she showed in all aspects of her life."

While a fundraiser set up to help cover funeral costs at the time of death described her as someone who "radiated light". Part of it read: "Anyone lucky enough to know Karin would say the same thing. Karin was the most giving, selfless, kind, and beautiful human being.

"She radiated light when she walked into a room. She would help anyone in need in a second with no questions asked. She loved her children to the bottom of her soul.

"Her children were her world. She was so excited to spend Christmas with them, and the fact we lost her so tragically right before Christmas is heartbreaking."