Police Find Body of Missing Chicago Woman

CHICAGO – The family of a missing Chicago woman said a body found early Thursday is that of their loved one.

Nailah Franklin, 28, a pharmaceutical sales representative for Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, was last heard from a week ago.

Jon Merrill, Franklin's uncle, told FOX WFLD that authorities confirmed it was his niece's body. Chicago police would not immediately confirm the indentification of the body. Other family members would not confirm that uncle's statement.

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Suburban Chicago officials found a body in a forest preserve near where Franklin's car was found abandoned last Friday, police said.

On Thursday morning, authorities in Calumet City reported that they found a body in the Wentworth Woods Forest Preserve, near where her car was found abandoned.

Her family has been offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts. The pharmaceutical sales representative was reported missing Sept. 19 after she didn't show up for an important work meeting.

Chicago police interviewed a man last week but have not named him a suspect. Franklin filed a police report about threatening phone calls she said she received from the man. The man told FOX Chicago that he was not involved in her disappearance and offered to take a polygraph test.

Click here to watch the report on MyFOXChicago.com.

Franklin's family does not know the man, who has a criminal background including a 2001 escape from a federal courthouse and two orders of protection against him by his ex-wife and a girlfriend.

Family and friends also launched a Web site seeking help in her disappearance and put up posters in a Chicago neighborhood.

Anyone with information should call Chicago police at 312-746-9259.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.