Thaindian News

July 22, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): The body of a missing California girl was found near a desert road. The law enforcement authorities believe that the decomposed body is that of the 17 year old teenager from South California who had been reported missing last week.

The spokesperson of the Sheriff’s office stated that the body has been identified as Norma Lopez after the autopsy. It had been discovered by a resident near Moreno Valley which is 60 miles away from Los Angeles. The body was in a state of decomposition and shirtless; clad only a pair of jeans. She was lying face down within a grove of trees.

Lopez had vanished on Thursday while returning home after attending a summer school class at the Valley View High School. Sheriff’s men have found signs of struggle in a field nearby. This was used as a shortcut by Norma. Various personal items were also recovered from the site.

Melissa Nieburger, the Deputy, said that no arrests in connection with the crime have been made so far. The police had conducted a door to door search earlier and dogs were also brought into the search.

The investigators had earlier assumed that Norma may have been kidnapped. Her family has been distraught ever since her disappearance and her sister Elizabeth had pleaded that she be let go. The family had also announced a reward of $35,000 in exchange for information about her whereabouts.

More than 2,000 people from the neighborhood gathered at the site where the body had been found. Her close friend Moises Michel, described her as a cheerful girl who had loved to dance.