Body of Kansas Teen, Kelsey Smith, Found

The body of Kelsey Smith, an eighteen year old Overland Park, Kansas, has been found today. She was found about fifteen miles away from the site of her abduction.

Smith had just graduated less than two weeks ago, has been apparently abducted from a Target store parking lot on June 2 at approximately 7:10 p.m, as reported by FOX news.

The community had searched unremittingly for her and the story is now national news. There was a $10,000 reward for information that would lead to her safe return.

Police received footage from a surveillance camera on Monday that showed Smith (wearing a pink tank top and black shorts) entering the store, making her transaction and leaving. Entering just after her, and almost directly before her departure, a young man dressed in a white tee shirt, black shorts and black Converse tennis shoes, left the store; then, other surveillance footage showed a man who appeared to be the same man, ran up behind Kelsey as she was entering her car and forced her inside.

Two hours later the car was found across the street in the Macy's parking lot, with Kelsey's purse and packages inside.

On Tuesday, Overland Park Police Chief John Douglas told FOX News "Every indication is, it's been an abduction... So far, our best information is coming from the surveillance video."

As of now, the man seen leaving the store on the video is being called a "person of interest."

The authorities have taken fingerprints of everyone who has been in Kelsey Smith's car for the last ten days. Also, Smith's sister, Stevie, told FOX news that the family and friends of Kelsey Smith have also given DNA to the police.

Now the authorities have found the body of Kelsey Smith by following a ping from her cell phone to a tower in south Kansas City, at Shell Creek in East Grandview, Missouri.

A suspect, who lives two miles from the site, has also been identified.

Yesterday, Detective Bob Miller told reporters that after the footage was released, two people phoned in and pointed to one individual. Detective Miller said, "He walked in shortly after her and left shortly before her, and is obviously parked out somewhere by her...we're confident we're going to get this guy identified today."

Overland Park Police Captain Tom Fredrickson said, "There were other people in the store at the same time Kelsey was, but this guy seemed to stand out...we're not calling him a suspect. He's an individual who may have information that is helpful to us. We want to find out his name and speak to him."

Greg, Smith's father, a former police officer, said to FOX news on Tuesday, "The biggest piece of information we have that's caused the most excitement we have is this person of interest...somebody out there knows this person or saw this person and all they have to do is call the police and tell them who he is."

Her family had created a website about her disappearance. See it here.

Sources:

http://www.foxnews.com

http://www.findkelsey.com/

http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3387311&version=24&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1