Authorities are asking for help in locating the body of a missing Vadnais Heights woman.

Michelle Newell, 45, was last seen and heard from on Aug. 29.

Timothy Barr, of St. Paul, was charged in Ramsey County District Court in September with two counts of second-degree murder without intent and one count of criminal vehicular homicide in her death.

"While the whereabouts of her body are still unknown, prosecutors feel they have enough evidence to press charges," a news release from the Ramsey County attorney's office said in September.

Family members reported Newell missing on Sept. 8. One witness told authorities that Newell and Barr were occasionally seen together.

Law enforcement officials from three agencies contacted Barr on four occasions after Newell's disappearance, but it wasn't until two informants stepped forward that investigators got a break in the case.

Barr allegedly told at least two people that he ran over a woman with his car, a 1997 Lincoln Continental, and used it to dispose of her body, the criminal charges said.

Authorities say Barr told friends he left Newell's remains in South Dakota in an abandoned barn or farm building, covered with hay, according to a news release from the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office. Barr refused to offer more specifics to police.

The Cass County and Ramsey County Sheriff's Offices are asking those who live in areas east of Jamestown, N.D., and Aberdeen, S.D. to check buildings and barns for anything suspicious.

"We are asking those who live in the Twin Cities metro area who may have relatives, hunt, or know property owners in these areas to contact them," the news release said.

Anyone with additional information should call the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office at 651-266-7320.

Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647

Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora