FBI: Body Found In Robeson County Believed To Be Hania Aguilar, Moment Of Silence Held In Her Honor
UPDATE (11/29):
ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. — Classmates of Hania Aguilar are planing to hold a moment of silence today at Lumberton Junior High School in memory of the 13-year-old girl.
Hania was kidnapped three weeks ago outside her home in Lumberton. Her body was found under water in some woods about 12 miles from her home Tuesday afternoon.
Investigators will use dental records to positively identified her, then an autopsy will be done to determine how Hania died.
Extra counselors are already on hand at Lumberton Junior High today to help students deal with their grief.
The Robeson County School Superintendent says the wake and funeral will possibly be at Lumberton High School.
There will also be a safety forum next month.
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ROBESON COUNTY, NC — The FBI says the body found during a search Tuesday afternoon is believed to be 13-year-old Hania Aguilar. Officials say that information is based on preliminary results by the state crime lab in Raleigh, but additional tests are required to confirm.
Shortly after the body’s discovery, officials say they contacted Hania’s family “out of an abundance of caution.”
“We are absolutely devastated. I wish we had a different outcome for Hania’s family, for the community, and for the hundreds of law enforcement officers and searchers who put everything they had into finding her alive,” said Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeill.
The discovery was made around 4:45pm in a body of water off of Wire Grass Road, which is near where Hania was kidnapped roughly three weeks ago. The FBI, Lumberton Police Department, SBI, and Robeson County Sheriff’s Office were reportedly following leads related to the search for Hania when the body was found.
The body was taken to the state crime lab in Raleigh for identification and autopsy late Tuesday. Officials say they will need to use an official dental records comparison to confirm her identity, but have not said how long that process may take.
Investigators say their work is far from over. The cause of death and details surrounding her abduction are still unknown at this time.
The investigation is ongoing. A $30,000 reward is still being offered for information regarding this case.
Anyone with information on Hania’s disappearance or with surveillance cameras near the area of Wire Grass Road is still asked to call the tip line at 910-272-5871 or 911.
For more information on the search for Hania, click here.
