NOV 28, 2018
Body found in North Carolina appears to be missing 13-year-old girl; suspect sought
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 chief said the body was found in water in Robeson County about 10 miles south of the mobile home park where she was kidnapped.
Authorities wouldn’t elaborate on whether the body was concealed but said it was not visible from the road or obvious to people passing by. Investigators spent Wednesday combing the area in daylight after finding the body the previous night.
The cause of death wasn’t released, pending an autopsy. Investigators would not describe the condition of the body. An FBI official said he did not have any information as to whether Hania was killed where she was found or elsewhere.