EL DORADO, Kan. - A body found Thursday is believed to be that of Emily Sander, an 18-year-old college student who modeled on adult websites as Zoey Zane.
Authorities said the physical description of the body found about 50 miles east of El Dorado matches that of Sander. Investigators declined to give details about the state of the body or how it was found.
Police Chief Tom Boren said the cause of Sander's death is unknown and an autopsy is planned.
Sander's disappearance drew wide attention after it was revealed that she appeared nude on a popular adult website. That site was temporarily inaccessible Thursday, as were several "fan" sites.
Boren said Thursday that Sander's disappearance had no connection to her modeling
activity.
Zane had been missing since Nov. 23, when she was last seen at the Retreat, a bar east of El Dorado. Authorities were led to Room 21 of the El Dorado Motel, where a manager reported that a fight may have occurred because there was blood in the room. They believe Sander was the victim of violence.
Sander was seen leaving the Retreat with Israel Mireles, 24, a new employee of a restaurant near the hotel. Her car was found the following day at the bar. Boren said Mireles is the last person known to have been seen with Sander.
Investigators believe Mireles may be on his way to Mexico. He is described as of Hispanic descent, 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing about 130 pounds, and is most likely with his pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend.
A car Mireles had rented was
found Tuesday in Vernon, Texas, where his relatives reside.
Investigators interviewed family members and will take the rental car back to Kansas for processing.
According to Boren, investigators believe that Mireles' relatives know where he
is.
Searchers checked the land along Highway 54 near Neal, Kan., in
an effort to trace the route Mireles may have taken on his way to Baxter Springs
to pick up his girlfriend on Nov. 24. Their efforts have yielded no new
evidence.
Sander's grandmother, Shirley Sander, said the discovery of the body "very
definitely" would bring closure to the family.
