ME Confirms: Body Found In Trunk Is Missing Girl
GREENVILLE (CBSDFW.COM) - The Greenville Police Department has confirmed that a body discovered in Van Zandt County yesterday is that of a missing 16-year-old girl.
Teenager Alicia Moore had been last seen of Friday, November 2, getting off a school bus at the corner of Bourland and Walnut Streets, in Greenville.
While the official cause of death is still pending, during an afternoon press conference Greenville Police Chief Dan Busken said, "There was trauma to her body discovered during the autopsy." When asked why an Amber Alert hadn't been issued the chief responded that the "criteria for an Amber Alert weren't met." Police said they have no suspects.
During the press conference Greenville School Superintendent Donald Jefferies said school bus video shows that Alicia got off the bus about a half block from her home and the bus driver didn't notice anything strange. "As an educator, this is the last type of event that we ever want to have to deal with," he said. "We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends."
On Tuesday, a road construction worker saw a rattan trunk along the side of Farm-to-Market Road 47, about four miles north of the town of Wills Point. When the man opened it he found a body inside. When the body was discovered, investigators contacted Moore's family to say an unidentified person had been found.
Alicia's aunt, Jessica Byrd, recalled the phone call. "That made my sister breakdown a little bit. And then he was asking about her [Alicia's] braces."
Greenville ISD officials say teachers are talking with investigators, trying to figure out if anything unusual was happening on Friday.
Initially, officials with the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department would give no details about the condition of the body or if it was even a male or female. Greenville police later confirmed the body was that of an African American female.
The body was taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office and it was there Greenville police say the body was positively identified as that of Alicia Chanta Moore.
On Tuesday, Alicia's family expressed their frustration with police. They claimed that a "serious" investigation didn't begin until Monday, despite the fact they filed a missing person's report on Friday. They also claimed that officials had told them Alicia had been listed as a runaway in the report.
Meanwhile, Greenville ISD administrators are asking parents and guardians to stay alert and report any strange people seen around schools or school buses.
After finding the body in Van Zandt County sheriff's there contacted the Texas Rangers and they are assisting with the investigation.
