A body found in a shallow grave was identified as Alexis Rasmussen, the 16-year-old girl who mysteriously vanished in North Ogden, Utah, on September 10 whilst babysitting.
Alexis Rasmussen went missing six weeks ago, on September 10 in the early hours of the morning.
The decomposed remains found in a canyon at a rural site north of Salt Lake City on Tuesday have been identified as hers.
Police investigation into the cause of Alexis Rasmussen’s death continues.
Authorities have not named any suspects in the case nor specifically declared it a homicide.
Alexis Rasmussen’s family paid tribute to her on a Facebook page set up during the search to find her, writing today: “Our beautiful Alexis is sadly gone.
“Our family has endured a catastrophe, one that has changed each of us in ways that are far beyond words.
“Alexis touched so many people in the past fifty days, just as she did in the time she was here. Life will never be the same.
“Now sadly we mourn for the loss of our baby girl, as a family we will slowly try to heal, knowing we will never fully recover.”
On Saturday, the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed through fingerprints and dental records that the body found at a rural site on Tuesday was that of Alexis Rasmussen.
“This is certainly not the outcome we were hoping for,” a police said.
“All indications are that Alexis was a very outgoing and loving person.”
Her family members have acknowledged that Alexis Rasmussen has run away before, and police previously said they were treating the investigation as a missing person case.
A confidential informant gave a hint to the police, which led them to the grave site in Morgan County, a rural county north of Salt Lake City. The hint was directly related to the investigation into Alexis Rasmussen’s disappearance.
According to police, Alexis Rasmussen was last seen when she was babysitting on September 10, but she reportedly left before midnight to meet a friend.
Authorities have talked to that boy, but he claims that he only texted Alexis Rasmussen that night and didn’t meet her.
The couple Alexis Rasmussen was babysitting for has since been arrested, and the mother has been charged with two felonies for fraudulent prescriptions. Police said the charges are unrelated to the disappearance of Alexis Rasmussen.
Alexis Rasmussen’s friends last night paid moving tributes to her.
“It makes me feel so sick inside that this could happen,” Sarah Spencer told ABC4.
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