Police said Thursday that the body discovered Wednesday in the investigation of the disappearance of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway has not been positively identified yet.
Westminster Police Department spokesman Trevor Materasso told reporters the body is “not intact” and that is extending the time it takes to make an identification.
Authorities will hold a formal press conference once the body has been identified, which Materasso said he hoped would be sometime on Friday.
The body was found Wednesday afternoon in the Pattridge Park open space in Arvada, about seven miles from the missing girl’s home. Investigators secured the scene and continued work there throughout the night and into the morning.
Materasso said earlier Thursday that canvassing in Jessica’s Westminster neighborhood and the surrounding area will continue, and police will be searching additional open spaces.
Jessica Ridgeway was last seen leaving her mother’s house to walk to school on Friday morning.
Investigators are still asking for tips from the public in the case, and Materasso urged anyone with information to call 303-658-4336.
For more on the case, watch Nancy Grace Thursday at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET on HLN.
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