Child's body found at Georgia landfill where officials were searching for Somer Thompson
Sheriff delayed news conference because of 'major development'
By Dana Treen, Jim Schoettler
Story updated at 4:26 PM on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009
ORANGE PARK Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler announced this afternoon that the body of a small child has been found in a Georgia landfill.
The child has not been identified as missing 7-year-old Orange Park girl Somer Renee Thompson, but Beseler said the landfill is used for Clay County trash.
The body was partially covered and is a white child, although the sex cannot be confirmed. FBI forensics investigators are en route to the scene.
Beseler said the child's mother and father both have been notified that a body of a small child has been found.
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime-scene vehicle pulled into the landfill within the last hour.
The vehicle, which resembles an ambulance, arrived several hours after the search at Chesser Island Landfill began.
Beseler had planned a 4 p.m. news conference but delayed it because of a "major development" in the case.
Mary Justino, a spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff's Office, said earlier today that Rosemary Hill landfill near Green Cove Springs and the Chesser Island Landfill, were targeted by investigators.
Trash from the neighborhood where Somer's family lived is taken to Rosemary Hill, then transferred to the Georgia landfill. Justino said the searches are a "precautionary measure" and are not based on a tip or a lead in the case.
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