Search for missing Wrightstown teen ends in tragedy as a body is found not far from her car, which had left State 96
WRIGHTSTOWN - A 17-year-old girl who went missing Saturday night was found dead Tuesday morning not far from her crashed car.
The Brown County Sheriff's Office said it believes a body found about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday is that of Daniela Velazquez. The body was found in a rural area in the 2600 block of Day Street, also known as State 96, in the town of Wrightstown, Brown County Sheriff's Capt. Dave Poteat said. Sheriff's officials say no indication exists that the death was a result of foul play, but they will await results of an autopsy before drawing conclusions about the cause of death.
The body was found a quarter- to a half-mile from Daniela's car, which apparently "went off the road" sometime between 3 and 6 a.m. Sunday on Blake Road, just sought of State 96, before the road had been plowed. A state trooper requested a welfare check after finding Daniela's vehicle in a ditch about 2:30 p.m. Sunday; her keys and wallet were inside the vehicle; her shoes and phone were located outside the car. She had been wearing a sweatshirt and pajama pants.
"She was definitely not dressed for the weather," Poteat said. "Being outside in conditions much like they are today for any extended period of time is going to results in a fatality in a short period of time." The National Weather Service says the temperature in Green Bay around 5 a.m. was about 12 with a wind chill of minus 4.
Poteat said they have no indication the teen had been with anyone, and that it appears the death was the result of a tragic accident.
He expressed "sincere sympathies for her family and friends."
The teen had spoken in person with her mother Saturday night, and by telephone with a friend in Florida, the state where she had lived until recently. Daniela did not show up for work at 10 a.m. Sunday; her mother reported her missing at 2:41 p.m. Sunday.
Sheriff's officials don't believe she was currently enrolled in school. Authorities said they had no indication that she tried to use her phone to summon help.
Authorities used a drone to search for the teen during daylight hours Sunday and Monday.
"We do know looking at drone footage from previous days that we did fly over those areas, but we still were not able to see the body from that video footage even knowing where she was recovered," Poteat said. "That basically just because of branches, shadows … (she was) basically concealed by that."
A police dog on Monday located an article of clothing that matched what Daniela had been wearing.
On Tuesday, additional personnel used snowmobiles and ATVs to cover more area faster and focused the search areas around where the clothing item had been located. Overall, authorities searched almost 40 acres each of where the vehicle was found.
Email Doug Schneider at DSchneid@Gannett.com, call him at (920) 265-2070 and follow him on Twitter @PGDougSchneider
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Missing Wrightstown teen found dead, several days after disappearance
