Body found in Fall Creek not connected to recent disappearances

A body found in Indianapolis over the weekend is not the body of missing IU student Lauren Spierer, the Marion County Coroner preliminarily ruled Tuesday.

The body found Sunday floating in Fall Creek is that of a young African-American woman, the coroner, Dr. Frank Lloyd, said.

“With regard to the body recovered from Fall Creek on July 3rd by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bloomington Police Department has been notified that the dental records for Lauren Spierer do not appear to match,” Lt. Bill Parker of the BPD said in a statement.  “As this ends our involvement in this recovery, we will not have any further release about the recovered body.”

The BPD had previously expressed interest in the body, as had Noblesville Police because an elderly woman recently went missing there.

IU anthropology graduate student instructor Susan Spencer said the ancestry, gender and age of a body can be determined by examining the skull, teeth and nose.

“Through doing that, they can estimate the sex and ancestry of the individual,” Spencer said. “Looking at the cusp patterns on the teeth can also determine ancestry. Examining the teeth and pelvic bones can determine the age.”

Spencer said that the summer heat most likely accelerated decomposition, perhaps indicating a more recent death. The coroner said the body had been in the water for around 2 1/2 weeks.

The woman has not yet been identified.

— Jake New