GREEN BAY, Wis. – A female body was found in the car that a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Green Bay student was last seen driving before she vanished two weeks ago. The car was pulled from the Fox River near downtown Green Bay Thursday, authorities said.
Green Bay Police Chief Jim Arts said a female body was in the vehicle and an autopsy would be conducted Friday to identify it and determine a cause of death.
An officer discovered tire tracks headed toward the river at about 8 a.m. Thursday, leading divers to find the car, police said.
Mahalia Xiong, 21, vanished early July 13 after a night out with friends at a bowling alley and a sports bar.
She was last seen about 2 a.m. getting into a white 1996 four-door Mercury Sable and driving off alone, authorities said. Her parents live in Green Bay and she has an apartment in the city.
The Mercury Sable was found in deep waters with "zero visibility" so divers could not immediately identify it or read the license plate, said Lt. Dave Wesely.
Wesely said the tracks were found near an industrial park and they went right into the river.
Shortly after the car was raised from the water, Arts escorted members of Xiong's family into a building and spoke to them privately.
"There's lots of tears being shed, lots of tissue," Arts told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "They want answers. They want to see their family member."
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