CORNWALL, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont State Police say they have located a body in a field near the Middlebury College campus during the ongoing search for missing student Lia Smith.
Smith, a 21-year-old senior from Woodside, California, was last seen on campus on Friday and was reported missing on Sunday.
Vermont State Police, Middlebury Police, and other agencies converged Thursday afternoon around 1:30 p.m. after they say a body was discovered in an area near The Knoll, an organic farm just west of the college’s campus.
Police say an autopsy is scheduled to confirm the identity of the victim and the manner of death. They add that an initial investigation does not indicate that the death is suspicious.
Lia Smith(photo provided)
It comes as the Vermont State Police on Thursday allocated more resources in the week-long search, including game wardens, other local agencies, and search dogs.
Middlebury Police had previously conducted aerial searches with drones and ground searches of wooded areas on and adjacent to the Middlebury campus. They also received help from the New York State Police, FBI, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Authorities say the state police are now leading the death investigation with assistance from the Middlebury Police Department and in coordination with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office.
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