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| Stacey Nicole English, Missing since 12/26/11, Body found 1/23/12 |
Tony English, the father of missing Buckhead resident Stacey English, told 11Alive News he received a 7:15 phone call Wednesday morning from the Fulton County Medical Examiner that a body found in southeast Atlanta Monday evening is that of his missing daughter.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner finished the initial phase of an autopsy on the body Tuesday night, but did not confirm that the remains belonged to English until Wednesday. According to family, English received updated dental X-rays two days before she went missing. There was a delay in obtaining those new dental records when her family could temporarily not locate her medical cards and her purse.
The Medical Examiner's office says the autopsy has not revealed the cause of death, and that more tests are needed. Cindy and Kevin Jamison, English's mother and stepfather, talked to 11Alive News from their Jonesboro home Tuesday evening.Cindy Jamison said the hardest part was watching the speculation on television. "You look at the news and you see the picture of our daughter and they're talking about this body that was found, but they're already making the association," she said. "It really tugs at us a lot harder.
A group of men searching for scrap metal found the body under a tree in southeast Atlanta. Police spokesman Carlos Campos said the body is in an "advanced stage of decomposition" and appeared to be wedged under the tree. The body was discovered about a mile from the spot where police found English's car abandoned but still running on December 27. The nephew of one of the men who found the body said his uncle saw some legs coming from under a tree.
Campos said police have made no connections between the two cases. Some of English's family members went to the scene where the body was found on St. Johns Avenue. Her cousin said it has been rough trying to figure out what happened to her. "All we can do is hope and pray that it's not (her)," James English said. English's aunt said finding Stacey's body would be a relief in some ways. "The best thing that we could do right now is to find her regardless of what circumstances are, what conditions are, the best thing to do is to find her," said Bernice English Hurks. "And if this is not her, then I have to still be sad because it's somebody else's child."
Recent report: Body found believed to be that of Stacey English
A body was found Monday in Southeast Atlanta not far from where the car of Stacey Nicole English, a 36-year-old woman who went missing days after Christmas, was previously found abandoned, Atlanta police announced. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office is conducting an autopsy on the remains, and agency officials said they expect to have a positive identification later Tuesday. Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said authorities received a 911 call around 3 p.m. Monday.
"The decedent appeared to be that of an African-American female, but due to state of the body a positive identification could not be made at this time," Jones said in an email to The Huffington Post. A group of men searching for scrap metal found the body under a tree in a heavily wooded area near the Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood, media reports said. The location is roughly one mile from the spot where police found English's car abandoned, but still running, on Dec. 27.
There was initial speculation that the tree could have fallen on the victim, but neighbors told reporters that the tree had been down for some time. "It looks like [the body] might've been stuffed there," Warren Blackman, a resident, told Channel 2 Action News. The victim had on khaki pants and was "buried face-down with her feet in the air," according to local resident Brandy Farmer, who also spoke to the TV station. Police have yet to confirm the reports. English was reported missing by relatives on Dec. 27.
Her cellphone, iPad and the device that opens the gate to her condominium complex were found inside her home, but her white, four-door 2006 Volvo S60 was missing. English attended a Christmas gathering at her grandmother's on Dec. 25. Afterward, she returned to her home in the exclusive Vanderbilt complex in the Buckhead neighborhood. Robert Kirk, a nightclub promoter from St. Louis, was visiting with English, her parents said. On the night of Dec. 26, the two allegedly got into an argument and she asked him to leave. Nobody has seen English since that night. Authorities recently said that Kirk has been cooperative and is not considered a suspect or person of interest in the case.
A Facebook page called "Help Find Stacey English" had a message posted on it late Monday night saying the family is "thankful and humbled by everyone's love, support and prayers." The message also states they are anxiously awaiting word from police on the identity of the body found Monday. "There has been no official confirmation that the body found...is that of Stacey English. Keep praying," the message reads. English is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds. She has brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair with blond highlights. The family is asking anyone with information regarding English's whereabouts to contact the Atlanta Police Department at 404-614-6544.
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