22-year-old Savannah Spurlock went missing Jan. 4.

Police say she was last seen leaving a Lexington bar with three men she didn't know.

Spurlock and the men went to a home in Garrard County. What happened after is unclear.

LANCASTER, Ky. – The six-month search for Savannah Spurlock ended Thursday as investigators confirmed they found the body of the Lexington-area mother of four.

"Our sobs of pain and physical anguish are met with moments of our beautiful memories of the vibrant and vivacious person she was," said Spurlock's aunt, Lisa Thoma. "She lives on through her precious boys who each carry a special part of her in them."

Spurlock's remains were found just before midnight Wednesday buried on the property of a home on Fall Lick Road in rural Garrard County, said Kentucky State Trooper Robert Purdy.

Hours after uncovering the remains, police arrested a man who lives at the home, 23-year-old David Sparks, and charged him with abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

Spurlock, of Richmond, was last seen on surveillance video leaving The Other Bar in Lexington with three men in the early hours of Jan. 5 after a night out with friends.

Police said her last known location was at the house. The property was searched in February, but no body was found, Purdy said.

Sparks was one of the three men who left the bar with Spurlock, and he was interviewed and released early on in the investigation, Purdy said.

See also:Body found in Garrard County confirmed as Savannah Spurlock, KSP says

During a press conference, Purdy declined to comment on the possibility of any future charges against Sparks or either of the other men.

He did not share further details of how the January night unfolded.

"There’s a lot of things that we’re going to be continuing to look at in the coming days and weeks," he said, including when the body was placed at the home.

Sparks pleaded not guilty Thursday in Garrard District Court and is due back Monday for a probable cause hearing at which witnesses are expected to testify.

Wednesday's discovery started after a relative of Sparks who owns the home reported a "foul odor."

According to Sparks' arrest citation — which describes him as the primary suspect in the missing persons case — the relative contacted his attorney after becoming concerned about the smell.

State police, local law enforcement and the FBI were soon at the home, about an hour's drive south of Lexington. There, they found the remains "in an unnatural position" beneath the ground's surface, court records show.

Spurlock's remains were taken to the state Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort for an autopsy.

Background:What happened to Savannah Spurlock? Here's what we know

A cause of death has not yet been determined, Purdy said.

"Items of evidence" that were known to last be in the possession of Spurlock and Sparks were found with the remains, police wrote in Sparks' citation, though Purdy declined to identify those items.

While it's unclear which items were located, Richmond police shared images in February of Spurlock's phone and purse, which she had with her the night she went missing.

For more than six months Spurlock's family has worked to find answers.

In a tearful video message posted to the Facebook page "Missing Savannah," Thoma thanked those who spent hours combing bodies of water, searching open fields and spreading the word about Spurlock's disappearance.

"You have kept Savannah’s silenced voice alive along with us in a fight for the truth," the aunt said. "You’ve embraced a stranger with empathy and compassion. Many of you have adopted her into your family as one of your own."

More on Spurlock:Case of missing Kentucky woman featured in online series

Spurlock's family had offered a $15,000 reward and set up tip boxes around Garrard County in hopes of finding answers.

They used the Facebook page to share developments in the case as well as personal milestones Spurlock was missing at home.

In January, family and friends gathered for her oldest son's 4th birthday. In February, Spurlock turned 23. And just last week, her twin boys turned 7 months old.

"As hard as the last six months have been, the truth of what happened that night in January is going to be even more painful," Thoma said. "We have fought a very public fight, and now we must step away and grieve privately."

She said family members are grateful for the closure they now have and they pray for justice.

“Savannah, we love you so much," she said. "Rest in heaven.”

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Reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at 502-582-4989 or mglowicki@courier-journal.com. Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.