Official: Body found in Colorado identified as that of 12-year-old girl missing since March

Official: Body found is 12-year-old Colo. girl

GREELEY, Colo. — A body recovered from an irrigation ditch in northern Colorado has been identified as that of a 12-year-old girl missing since March, a law enforcement official said.

Kayleah Wilson of Greeley was last seen walking to a friend’s house for a birthday party.

The law enforcement official spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak about the investigation. Police in Greeley, about 60 miles north of Denver, planned a news conference later Thursday to make the announcement, the official said.

On Wednesday, police retrieved a decomposed body from an irrigation ditch about a half-mile from the home of the missing sixth-grader. A worker checking the ditch for problems after heavy rain found the body in about 3 feet of water, said Sgt. Joe Tymkovich.

Kayleah’s mysterious disappearance spawned repeated searches in parts of Greeley by local police, area residents and the FBI. Officials have refused to say whether they suspected foul play.

About 150 people gathered at the ditch where the body was found Wednesday evening, many of them carrying candles and teddy bears.