Body found on Purdue campus

An autopsy was conducted late Monday night to determine the identity of a body that was found at Purdue University earlier in the day. \nInvestigators have not yet determined if the body is that of missing Purdue freshman Wade Steffey, 19, who disappeared Jan. 13, said Purdue spokeswoman Jeanne \nNorberg.\nA university utility worker entered a high voltage area in Owen Hall on the campus around noon Monday when she found the body, Norberg said. Steffey was last spotted near Owen Hall before he was reported missing more than two months ago, she said.\n“The body was found about 50 yards away from where Wade was last seen,” she said. “We don’t know if it’s Wade. We’re concerned for whoever it is – whether it’s Wade or someone else.”\nThe Tippecanoe County coroner could not make any comments on the individual’s condition, age or gender and expects to announce the name of the individual at a press conference Tuesday, Norberg said.\n“Because this is a suspicious death we want to keep the information close until we know what we’re dealing with,” she said.\nDale Steffey and Dawn Adams, Wade Steffey’s parents, were both notified after the body was found. They arrived around 4:30 p.m. Monday in West Lafayette to talk to police and a counselor, and they are staying overnight, Norberg said. \nBecause the room was locked and only certain employees had access to it, the room was not looked through during any of several searches in the past two months, Norberg said.\nUtility workers at the residence hall were alerted after someone reported a noise that was coming from the room that was described as a “popping” noise, Norberg said. The source of the noise was also unknown. The power was shut off until the coroner could enter the building and remove the body, \nshe said.\nNorberg could not speculate on the body’s identity but said she was surprised this discovery occurred today because nothing has led up to it. The latest search was conducted Sunday afternoon but concluded without results. \n“It’s certainly been a case concerning Wade where nothing really added up,” she said. “We had a lot of pieces of information. We don’t know if this is going to be a resolution to it or not.”