Family: Body Found in Woods is Missing 16-year-old Alexandria Chery
OSCEOLA COUNTY | The family of missing 16-year-old Alexandria Chery said they were told there's a "98 percent chance" the body that was found Friday in a wooded area is Alexandria.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office released a statement at 9:40 p.m. Saturday, stating the Medical Examiner's Office still hasn't positively identified the body of a small female that was found in Osceola County.
"The (Orange County Sheriff's Office) continues to work with the Medical Examiner's Office to seek the identity of the recovered body of a female," the statement reads. "An autopsy was conducted, and the results have not yet yielded a positive identification. The (Medical Examiner's) Office will exhaust additional efforts to complete this grim task."
Ray Joseph, the uncle of Alexandria Chery, said Saturday night that the family got a call from a detective stating there was a 98 percent chance the body that was found was Chery.
The site where the body was found was less than two miles from where investigators began searching for Chery on Thursday. Deputies said pings from Chery's cell phone led them to search the area near the Osceola-Polk Line Road. A landscaper discovered a decomposing body in a wooded area along a sidewalk Friday morning.
Chery was last seen July 28, at her Orlando home in the Hawthorne Grove Apartments, off Good Homes Road near Old Winter Garden Road.
The medical examiner will use dental records to make a positive identification. The timetable for the identification has not been released.
"Just anxious to find out, you know, if the body that they found was Alex," Joseph said. "They're just waiting to hear something from the officers."
Joseph said he believes Sanel Saint Simon, the longtime boyfriend of Alexandria Chery's mother, had something to do with his niece's disappearance. Investigators said Saint Simon is the prime suspect in the case.
Saint Simon remains locked up in the Orange County Jail. He was arrested on charges of providing false information to law enforcement and attempting to destroy evidence related to the case. Investigators say he is not cooperating with the investigation.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office's statement on Saturday night, in full, is as follows:
"The OCSO continues to work with the Medical Examiner’s Office to seek the identity of the recovered body of a female. An autopsy was conducted, and the results have not yet yielded a positive identification. The ME’s Office will exhaust additional efforts to complete this grim task.
"In the meantime, OCSO investigators will move forward with their tireless efforts as if the recovered body is that of Alexandria Chery.
"We have briefed the family of Alexandria Chery, as they go through this agonizing wait. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time, but a positive identification has not been made at this time."
OSCEOLA COUNTY | The family of missing 16-year-old Alexandria Chery said they were told there's a "98 percent chance" the body that was found Friday in a wooded area is Alexandria.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office released a statement at 9:40 p.m. Saturday, stating the Medical Examiner's Office still hasn't positively identified the body of a small female that was found in Osceola County.
"The (Orange County Sheriff's Office) continues to work with the Medical Examiner's Office to seek the identity of the recovered body of a female," the statement reads. "An autopsy was conducted, and the results have not yet yielded a positive identification. The (Medical Examiner's) Office will exhaust additional efforts to complete this grim task."
Ray Joseph, the uncle of Alexandria Chery, said Saturday night that the family got a call from a detective stating there was a 98 percent chance the body that was found was Chery.
The site where the body was found was less than two miles from where investigators began searching for Chery on Thursday. Deputies said pings from Chery's cell phone led them to search the area near the Osceola-Polk Line Road. A landscaper discovered a decomposing body in a wooded area along a sidewalk Friday morning.
Chery was last seen July 28, at her Orlando home in the Hawthorne Grove Apartments, off Good Homes Road near Old Winter Garden Road.
The medical examiner will use dental records to make a positive identification. The timetable for the identification has not been released.
"Just anxious to find out, you know, if the body that they found was Alex," Joseph said. "They're just waiting to hear something from the officers."
Joseph said he believes Sanel Saint Simon, the longtime boyfriend of Alexandria Chery's mother, had something to do with his niece's disappearance. Investigators said Saint Simon is the prime suspect in the case.
Saint Simon remains locked up in the Orange County Jail. He was arrested on charges of providing false information to law enforcement and attempting to destroy evidence related to the case. Investigators say he is not cooperating with the investigation.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office's statement on Saturday night, in full, is as follows:
"The OCSO continues to work with the Medical Examiner’s Office to seek the identity of the recovered body of a female. An autopsy was conducted, and the results have not yet yielded a positive identification. The ME’s Office will exhaust additional efforts to complete this grim task.
"In the meantime, OCSO investigators will move forward with their tireless efforts as if the recovered body is that of Alexandria Chery.
"We have briefed the family of Alexandria Chery, as they go through this agonizing wait. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time, but a positive identification has not been made at this time."
