St. Clair County authorities in Michigan have released very few details regarding the investigation into the disappearance and death of a teenager whose remains were discovered last Sunday following a missing person report from her family. Leah Conner, only 16 years old, was discovered by the state police’s canine unit beneath a bridge along a popular hiking trail approximately two miles from her home.
Leah Conner was reported missing last Saturday by her family around 4:45 in the afternoon after she failed to return home from a walk. Leah was a junior at Yale High School. She was a busy team with a diverse list of interests, including cross-country, playing the ukulele, singing, songwriting, and holding a spot on the school’s robotics team. “She had such a beautiful soul,” said Kayla Harris, a family friend, “and I want everyone to know, I want to scream it to the world. She would make you feel very special when she was little. She would give up her toys to another kid to play with. She would rather have you be happy. And that’s how she was with her sisters, too, and her mom. She would just walk through the kitchen and just hug them and say, ‘I love you,’ just because. That is who she was.”
Because the authorities have deemed her death as suspicious, they are not releasing many details regarding the discovery and condition of the body. There is an autopsy planned, according to a statement from the Michigan State Police. “Investigators are still at work on this,” said Lt. Lizabeth Rich of the MSPD. “We aren’t discussing or releasing other details until after an autopsy. Any death in this manner is considered suspicious until an autopsy is completed. But we don’t feel there is any reason for the community to be alarmed. At this time, law enforcement does not feel there is a threat to the public.”
Friends of Leah Conner have set of a Go Fund Me campaign as a memorial for Leah to help pay for costs associated with her funeral, garnering more than $19,000 in only a few short days. Conner is survived by her father, Ian, and four sisters, Hannah, Elizabeth, Keely and Kenzie.
Investigators asked anyone with information about the incident to call the Lapeer State Police post at (810) 664-2905.