Body of missing Ohio college student believed to be found
CBS News
WAUSEON, Ohio -- The remains of a college student whose disappearance several days ago prompted a search in Ohio are believed to be found, authorities said Saturday.
Investigators looking for Sierah Joughin found the remains Friday evening in an area near a rural county road, Fulton County Sheriff Roy Miller said.
"At this time, we strongly believe that this is Sierah," Miller told reporters at a news conference Saturday afternoon.
Miller did not release any details on how she might have died, and he didn't take questions from reporters. An autopsy has yet to be completed, but authorities said they expect to make a positive identification on the remains through DNA or fingerprints in the next few days.
Joughin, a 20-year-old University of Toledo student, was last seen riding her bike Tuesday in Metamora, about 20 miles west of Toledo. Her bike was later found in a cornfield after her mother filed a missing person's report.
On Friday, authorities arrested 57-year-old James Worley, of Delta, on an abduction charge related to her disappearance.
Worley has requested an attorney who has represented him previously. That attorney has declined to comment.
Miller said he anticipates additional charges will be filed against the suspect. "This investigation is far from over," he told reporters.
The Toledo Blade noted that Worley’s past conviction came after he attacked and abducted a woman named Robin Gardner, who eventually escaped alive.
“Ms. Gardner was riding her bike when she noticed a flat-bed truck pass her in the opposite direction, according to court records. A few moments later, the same truck struck her from behind, causing her to fall from her bike and tumble into a small ditch on the side of the road. Worley then approached the woman, asked her if she was OK, and came up from behind and struck her on the head with an unknown instrument.
“Worley dragged her over to the truck and told Ms. Gardner to do what he said or threatened to kill her, the court records state. He then forced her into the truck and put a handcuff on one wrist, from which she managed to break free. She escaped through the driver’s door, the records state.”
Worley served a little more than three years in prison for the conviction before being released in 1993. He spent another two years in prison from 2000 to 2002 after pleading guilty to illegal manufacture or cultivation of marijuana and having weapons while under disability.
Miller said investigators continue to search for evidence in Joughin's case, and he encouraged people with any information to call authorities.
At Saturday's news conference, a family spokesman thanked law enforcement and others for their help in the search for Joughin.
"Sierah was a remarkable young lady with a contagious smile," Paul Bishop told reporters. "She was a loving person who has touched many people in her life."
The University of Toledo has said in a statement that Joughin was entering her junior year. She was studying human resource management and was a member of the school's professional business fraternity.
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