Vanished: Randy 'Amanda' Lehrer was last seen on August 12 but her husband didn't report her missing until five days later
The body of a woman who has been missing for a month has been found encased in concrete in a drum in her basement, her mother says.
Rose Moncarz told CBC News in Canada thather daughter Randy 'Amanda' Lehrer was found at her home in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The police have yet to confirm that the body is Miss Lehrer.
Her husband, Steven Acuna, was last seen arguing with his wife outside her place of work on the day she disappeared.
The couple's 11-month-old daughter has also not been seen since then.
Miss Lehrer was reported missing five days later by her husband.
Police said Acuna has been uncooperative with the investigation.
He has refused to be interviewed with the presence of a lawyer, they said.
Earlier police chief Tom Comey described the gruesome discovery in a 55-gallon drum as a 'significant development in the case.'
The husband: Neighbours say they haven't seen Steven Acuna or his baby daughter since his wife went missing
Gruesome find: Human remains have been found in a concrete-filled drum in the basement of Miss Lehrer's home
Earlier this month a cadaver dog was used to search the family's home, but no evidence of foul play was found, nj.com reports.
Mrs Moncarz, from Montreal, said police initially identified her daughter by her tattoos.
She told CBC News: 'I'm not doing good. How can a mother lose a child?
'How can a mother bury her own child? No mother goes before her kids.'
Fearing the worst: Shocked neighbours gather as police remove items from Randy Lehrer's home
Paul Watroba witnessed the argument outside Tommie's Diner in Jersey City where Miss Lehrer worked.
He told NBC New York: 'Her husband was waiting for her on the corner with their baby. He just left the kid and the stroller here and went chasing after her.
'I didn't see what happened but he came back, got the baby and left.'
Miss Lehrer's boss, Andreas Diakos, said Acuna called the restaurant three days after the argument to say she went to visit her sick mother in Canada, and would not be coming to work.
But Mr Diakos said Miss Lehrer's sister later told him their mother wasn't sick.
'He lied to me,' said Diakos.
Thorough search: No one was home when police arrived at noon at Randy Lehrer's houise
No charges have so far been brought in the case.
Jersey City police could not be immediately reached for comment.
Earlier this month a cadaver dog was used to search the family's home, but no evidence of foul play was found, nj.com reports.
Police said they had not searched the basement of the building until Friday.
Melissa Wilderman, 18, said she knew Miss Lehrer from Tommie's Diner.
She told: 'She used to serve me and my boyfriend. I was pregnant and she was pregnant and we used to talk.
'We hung out a couple of times in front of her house after she got off work.
'When she went missing I couldn't believe it. I'm hoping she's alive. ... I hope it's not her.'
Investigators have spoken with Lehrer's parents and they were able to corroborate a tattoo on the body, but the DNA testing this weekend will prove the identity.
By Saturday afternoon, a makeshift memorial of candles, balloons and flowers had been set up in front of the apartment building where the 32-year-old lived with her husband and infant daughter.
Dozens of police spent the night at Lehrer's home after discovering the drum.
while police are not saying whether Acuna is a suspect, they have said from the start that he hasn't been helpful.
'We have been delayed, because of a lack of cooperation on his part, has forced us to seek court orders, subpoenas and warrants to do our job,' Jersey City police chief Tom Comey said last month.
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