State police photo Toni Baker, 41, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (State police photo)

WESTMORELAND — The 41-year-old woman whose remains were discovered earlier this week in Partridge Brook is believed to have died on July 23, a day after she spoke with a state trooper but refused to identify herself and declined the trooper’s offers to get her help, according to authorities.

The woman, identified as Toni Baker, had been the subject of “several missing and vulnerable person bulletins” issued by both Pittsburgh police and the Brattleboro, Vermont police department since she apparently disappeared in early July.

An autopsy conducted the day after Baker’s remains were found determined her death was accidental, and was the result of a “probable drowning,” according to police.

No foul play was suspected, they said, adding that it appears that Baker was likely carried into Partridge Brook by floodwaters. The brook is a roughly 7 mile long tributary of the Connecticut River, and runs from Spofford Lake and through Westmoreland, where it joins the Connecticut River.

Police said in a statement that Baker interacted with state troopers on July 19, and at the time she had her 12-year-old son with her.

At 10:30 a.m. that day, the Pittsburgh Department of Police posted an update on social media that stated Baker and her son — Najeh Taylor — had been “safely located.”

The post was an update to an earlier post in which the department asked for public’s assistance in locating Baker and Taylor.

Taylor was subsequently returned to family members in the Pittsburgh area, in response to a court order, police said.

Around that time, Baker was evaluated at Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth due to what police called “mental health concerns.” She was later released.

Over the next two days, police said, Vermont state police and Brattleboro police had separate interactions with Baker.

The final time police interacted with Baker before her death was the July 22 encounter when she refused to identify herself or accept help.

That encounter took place on Route 63 in Westmoreland, not far from Partridge Brook. According to the autopsy report, she likely died within a day of that interaction.

It was around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday when someone called police to report a possible drowning in Partridge Brook.

Initially thought to be a water-rescue call, arriving first responders located a deceased individual along the shoreline of the brook, police said.

They later identified the body as that of Baker.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.