My heart breaks for this family

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (AP) -- Police on Wednesday found a body they believe is that of a teenager who disappeared four days ago after she was apparently abducted from a department store parking lot.

Police Chief John Douglass said the body was found across the state line at a Grandview, Missouri, lake. Positive identification was pending, but authorities believed it was 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.

He did not say how she was slain.

Officers had been searching woods at the lake since Tuesday after investigators traced two signals from Smith's cell phone to an area about 15 miles east of the Target store in suburban Kansas City.

Police had questioned "numerous people" but had not identified a suspect, Douglass said.

Authorities were still seeking information about a young man videotaped entering and leaving the Target store within moments of Smith. He said police still considered the unidentified man a "person of interest" and not a suspect.

Asked whether people should be concerned that the suspect could still be at large, Douglass said: "I think we all need to remain vigilant no matter what. I don't want to overemphasize the importance of this, but we always need to use caution."

Smith's parents, Greg and Missy Smith, said Wednesday on "The Early Show" that they do not know the man in the surveillance video. (Watch the teen struggle with her abductor )

"None of our immediate family recognize him," Greg Smith told CBS.

Officers also continued to look for information about a dark pickup that was seen entering the Target parking lot shortly after Smith's car. Just before 7 p.m. Saturday, the pickup pulled into the parking lot aisle where Smith had parked about one minute earlier, police said. A man is seen leaving the pickup and going into the Target store Smith had entered.

On Tuesday, police also released video showing a woman they believe is Smith being forced into her car.

Smith, who graduated from high school less than two weeks ago, left the store around 7:10 p.m. and put packages into her car when someone ran toward her, police said. (Watch the teen's parents ask for her return )

"You see two individuals come together, and there is no separation of those two individuals," Douglass said. "So it is easy to conclude there was some kind of incident at the back of the car. Then the car leaves."

But the tape was "just not detailed enough" and was being enhanced at a forensics lab, Douglass said.

"We see activity," Douglass said of the videotape. "We are moving on the assumption -- because the prudent thing to do is to treat this as an abduction -- that there was some kind of force involved."

Investigators said they don't know whether Smith was picked at random or abducted by someone she knew.

About two hours after Smith disappeared, her grandparents found her car in a parking lot at a mall in suburban Kansas City with her purse and packages still inside.

The Smith family increased the reward for information about Kelsey's disappearance to $30,000. Greg Smith, who has been in law enforcement for 16 years, described his daughter as an outgoing young woman who planned to be a veterinarian.

 

Been bouncing around and haven't seen much news, but with all the press this must be another young white girl.

 

Aww :cry: I just heard about her this morning on GMA, and her parents were interviewed. I was hoping they would find her alive and well. How sad. My heart goes out to her family as well as all families that have missing children. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through.

 

And??

 

And they also found a girl today, after a year being missing, locked in some kind of room ALIVE. Its all over CNN.

 

That is great news.

Regarding my comments about her being a young white girl, typically those are the only ones to make the news. When it is a young black or Hispanic woman it usually doesn't get any coverage.

 

It's a tragedy no matter what.

 

I understand what your saying.

 

:cry: So sad.

 

I saw it on the national news the morning too. They also had some detective along with this story (not related to the case) telling how young women or just anyone in general can protect themselves when leaving stores or going to their car in a parking lot at night. Well he explained and then the news reporter said "20 more seconds". I HATE IT WHEN THEY DO THAT. Especially when they give him 20 more seconds just so they can say... Up next how is Paris Hilton making it in jail....blah blah blah blah blah blah :roll:

I could give a rat's fuzzy crack how that over exposed bimbo is doing in the can...let her rot there... tell me more about how to keep myself safe. Idiots.:x

 

I agree...I can't stand hearing Paris's name on the news. WHO CARES. She will be more popular when she gets out. Makes my stomach turn.

Later

OMG....paris is already out of Jail

 

Huh? I was at my kids' school all day so I didn't hear the wonderful news :roll: and had to look it up. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/07/AR2007060700774.html
I must say, JUST GAG ME WITH A SPOON, cause this makes me want to barf! "Medical condition" my big, fat donkey! What is SO VERY irritating about all of this "celebrity" justice is that it is such a joke. A "regular" person would never get off as easy as these "celebs" always get off. Makes me sick! :x


Anyway, about the poor 18 year old girl... I cried when I saw her father describing her on the news this morning. What a senseless, tragic thing for this poor family to have to endure. :cry::cry:

 

Yup...its all over the news. Big deal...she is home, she can have parties and she can even drink alcohol. What kind of punishment is that?

I know, Kelsey was a pretty girl. She just graduated from HS.

Goes to show that you have to becareful when you travel on your own and make sure you are aware of your surroundings. Crazy

 

i feel so sorry for Kelsey's family - i honestly do not know if i would survive the death of one of my children:-(

On the note of Paris the bimbo - before she went in she was all about showing her fans that everyone must pay the dues for their actions and she hoped her ordeal would help other young girls - duh, what has she taught them? It just burns me how our justice system is so money oriented, our forefathers have got to be turning over in their graves.

 

The fact that she got so long to turn herself in beforehand was clue enough in the beginning that this was all going to be ...(I can't think of anything that wouldn't be hit by the censor)...

 

Oh my goodness, the poor baby! :roll: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,278885,00.html

I wonder how much her "medical condition" cost her parents. :roll::roll::roll::roll::roll:

 

Ready...I love your smileys...you need to teach me how to do that

 

Google. :mrgreen:

 

So jealous of you...I am gonna go and copy off of you.

 

:lol: Go right ahead. :lol: