A missing Tennessee woman has been found dead outside a property in Cleveland, Ohio, after her eight-year-old daughter was discovered safe at a nearby fire station.

Amber Graham, 37, had been reported missing by police in Spring Hill, Tennessee, after relatives lost contact with her.

Her body was subsequently discovered at a property on Bosworth Road on Cleveland’s West Side and formally identified by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Graham’s daughter was found safe and has been placed in the care of Child Protective Services while authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death.

Mother and daughter reported missing

Spring Hill Police filed a missing persons report for Graham on July 2.

Police were told the 37-year-old had her eight-year-old daughter with her and that family members had not had contact with Graham since June 18.

A missing persons detective from Tennessee had been working with officers in Cleveland as efforts were made to locate both mother and daughter.

Eight-year-old found alone at fire station

Before Graham’s body was discovered, her daughter was found alone at Cleveland Fire Station 33, at West 117th Street and Linnet Avenue.

The fire station is approximately half a mile from the property where Graham was later found.

Firefighters said the girl showed no immediate signs of physical abuse or medical distress and had a telephone number for her grandmother in her pocket.

Cleveland Police were contacted and Child Protective Services took temporary custody of the girl.

Friend says Graham planned to meet online contact

A family friend, Josh LaCroix, told reporters that before her disappearance Graham had been communicating online with a person known by the aliases “Huckleberry” or “Red” through Xbox.

According to LaCroix, Graham had planned to meet the person and intended to take her daughter with her.

The significance, if any, of that reported contact to Graham’s death has not been established by investigators.

LaCroix described Graham as a kind and caring mother who was committed to her daughter and her work. Friends said her disappearance was particularly concerning because she was considered reliable and had unexpectedly stopped attending shifts at the grocery store where she worked.

Cause of death under investigation

Police and the medical examiner are investigating how Graham died.

At the time of the latest information, authorities had not announced a cause of death or confirmed whether her death was being treated as the result of a criminal offence.

Investigators are examining potential evidence and communications as they attempt to reconstruct Graham’s movements before her disappearance.

Spring Hill and Cleveland authorities continue to work together on the case, with investigators interviewing potential witnesses and examining electronic communications.

No criminal charges had been announced in connection with Graham’s death at the time of the latest update.