Missing Florida girl found dead at nature preserve identified

Published: Updated:
Janessa Shannon. Photo via WPEC.

RIVERVIEW, Fla. (AP) A body found dead in a Florida nature preserve this week has been identified as that of a 13-year-old girl who had been reported missing.

Janessa Shannon’s body was found by a hiker on Wednesday at the Triple Creek Nature Preserve in Riverview. Her identity was confirmed by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office, with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cristal Nunez said the case is being treated as homicide. Her cause of death has not been disclosed.

The girl had been reported missing on July 2, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website.

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