Julie Mott's "obsessed" ex may have stolen her corpse after her funeral.

In August last year, 25-year-old Julie Mott died from cystic fibrosis.

The young San Antonio woman had planned to have her body cremated after a small funeral for family and friends, which would be held on her 26th birthday.

After the service her body was wheeled into the private visitation area of the funeral home where it was held.

Sometime in the three hours that followed it was stolen.

“Whoever did it was pretty daring about it,” San Antonio Police Department Sergeant Javier Salazar said at the time.

“This was not a case of somebody thinking they were stealing an empty casket; the body was the clear target.

“Our number one priority, of course, is getting her back to her family. A close second is to find out who the person was who did it and bring them to justice.”

The city was scoured for her remains and a friend of the family who worked at the funeral home, Robert “Dick” Tips, offered a US$20,000 reward, but Mott’s body has not been returned — despite there being a suspect in the case, believed to be her ex boyfriend.

Citing a police incident report, local news outlet My San Antonio claimed at the time that the suspect, an unnamed man in his 20s, had pursued Mott relentlessly until her death.

The police described him as “obsessed” and noted that he called her and texted her repeatedly throughout her illness.

He was also the last to leave her funeral.

In September last year, Tips confirmed to My San Antonio that police were following a lead.

“We feel pretty comfortable that we know who it might be,” he said.

“It’s a process. It’s like a puzzle. You have to fill in the blanks and make sure you eliminate everybody.”

More than six months on there is still no sign of Mott’s body and her bereaved parents have filed a lawsuit against the home, Mission Park Funeral Chapels North, for US$1 million citing “gross negligence”.