Cops: Ill. student, missing after Craiglist post, found slain

HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- A Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville student found dead at a truck driving school outside St. Louis was the victim of a homicide, police said at a press conference Wednesday.

The body of 19-year-old Taylor Clark was found at the school in Hazelwood, Mo. Tuesday, about 400 feet from his car, which he had recently posted for sale on Craigslist, reports CBS St. Louis. Clark was reported missing Monday, and investigators reportedly believe he was going to meet someone who had responded to the ad for his red 2007 Nissan 350ZX.

READ: Expert: Craigslist's "Ethos of Anonymity" leads to crime

Police wouldn't say whether a Craigslist transaction could be related to the murder, but said they're investigating all possibilities.

Clark was last seen around 10:30 a.m. Monday by his girlfriend at a business in Glen Carbon, Ill., about 25 miles east of the truck driving school where his body was found. He attended college in nearby Edwardsville.

He had reportedly just taken final exams before he vanished.

"By all accounts he was a very good young man, a quality person - a college student who unfortunately fell victim to a tragic event," Capt. Tim Fagan, deputy commander of the major case squad with the Florissant Police Department, said Wednesday.

Fagan said investigators "have a clear understanding" of how Clark was killed, but wouldn't release details. He said police are speaking with "many, many" people, following up on leads and canvassing the area for surveillance video.

No one has been taken into custody in the murder, Fagan said.

Anyone with information if asked to call 314-513-5225.