Mother of Jacksonville State coach John Grass found dead

Marcus Dinitto

Mother of Jacksonville State coach John Grass found dead image

Virginia Dugger Grass, the 78-year-old mother of Jacksonville State football coach John Grass who had been missing since Sunday night, was found dead Tuesday morning.

Assistant St. Clair County Sheriff Billy Murray said at a news conference that Grass' body was found in a pond about three-quarters of a mile from her Odenville, Ala., home, according to multiple media outlets.

Family members had said in a Facebook post that Grass was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease about five years ago. She went missing between 9 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday after celebrating the holidays with her family and authorities issued a Missing Senior Alert for her.

Nearly 200 people had been actively involved in the search, AL.com reported.

"The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office, on behalf of the family, would like to thank all volunteers, searchers, and agencies who assisted in locating Ms. Grass," the sheriff's office said in a release. "Our thoughts and prayers now turn to Ms. Grass's family."

Marcus Dinitto