Schenectady woman’s last days tracked

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

The investigation into the death of Schenectady resident Shelby Countermine moved forward Friday as police searched a home in Albany for evidence she’d been there.

Coeymans Police Chief P.J. McKenna also confirmed the investigation has developed a person of interest, but stopped short of calling that person a suspect and declined to provide further details.

The last confirmed sighting of Countermine, 23, was the morning of Dec. 3 near her Crane Street home in Schenectady. Her body was found May 14 by a jogger in a shallow grave off a wooded path in a remote part of the town of Coeymans. She was formally identified Monday through tattoos and fingerprints.

Police are following up on reports she was seen in Albany later that day, McKenna said. State police searched a residence on Maplewood Avenue in Albany on Friday for evidence to back up a possible sighting there, he said.

Police have been busy all week tracking down leads, questioning those who knew her or could provide more information on her whereabouts leading up to her disappearance.

Police believe her body had been buried in Coeymans for some time, possibly since shortly after her disappearance.

Her cause of death was listed earlier this week as undetermined pending investigation. Her death was being treated then as a homicide, but had yet to be formally ruled as such.

She was reported missing the day after she was last seen in Schenectady.

The investigation is being led by the Coeymans Police Department, with assistance from state police, Schenectady police and other agencies.

Countermine lived in both Schenectady and Rotterdam in the months leading up to her disappearance.

She previously attended Schalmont schools, a friend said earlier this week. That friend described Countermine as a vibrant, outgoing person who loved tattoos, music and fashion.