Body found in North Carolina appears to be that of missing 13-year-old girl
A body found in North Carolina was tentatively identified as Hania Noelia Aguilar, 13, whose abduction in broad daylight three weeks ago touched off a huge search and pleas from her family for safe return.
Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeill said at a news conference that state crime lab tests indicate the body found late Tuesday is Hania. Though a final determination will be made with dental records, investigators suspect the body is hers.
“This is the outcome that we all feared,” he said. “We did not want to hear this. We wanted to bring Hania back home and bring her back home alive to our community. It hurts.”
He pledged to bring whoever is responsible to justice. Investigators said they don’t have a suspect or person of interest.
The FBI said agents and Lumberton police found the body south of the city in an area where authorities searched for Hania, a student at Lumberton Junior High.
“The body is believed to be Hania, but the identity has not yet been confirmed,” Robeson County schools Superintendent Shanita Wooten said in a statement. “Authorities have notified Hania’s family, and they are waiting for the body to be positively identified.”
Hania was abducted Nov. 5 after going outside to start an SUV for a relative who was going to drive her to the school bus. A neighbor said she heard screams, then saw a man dressed in black and wearing a yellow bandanna force Hania into the SUV and drive away.
The FBI joined local and state police in the search. The vehicle was found three days later in a wooded area several miles from Hania’s home.
Residents of Lumberton, a city of 20,000 people, tried to stay positive throughout the ordeal.
Wooten said support personnel would be made available to students and staff at Hania’s school.
“This is an unfortunate end to an extensive search, and we are committed to supporting all students and staff as they cope with the heartbreaking tragedy,” the school district statement said.
“This is a difficult time for our entire district, and we are mourning this loss and are still processing this terrible tragedy.”