A body has been found in an area of North Carolina where searchers have been looking for a missing teenager for three weeks.
The FBI said on Tuesday that authorities investigating 13-year-old Hania Aguilar’s disappearance found the body at about 4.45pm near Lumberton.
The body was found in an area off Wire Grass Road in Robeson County, which is just east of Interstate 95.
Officials would not immediately say if the body was that of Hania.
Hania Aguilar, 13, has been missing since November 5 when she was snatched from a mobile home park in Lumberton, North Carolina before school
‘The body has not been positively identified, but agents were following leads related to the search for 13-year-old Hania Aguilar,’ a tweet from FBI Charlotte read.
‘Please continue to pray for Hania, her family and each other.’
Hania was kidnapped on November 5 from a mobile home park after going outside to start a relative’s SUV to prepare to leave for the school bus stop.
Police said a man then forced the teenager into an SUV and drove off.
The SUV was later found dumped in Lumberton, several miles from the mobile home park.
In a bid to generate new leads into her disappearance, the FBI asked the public to be on the lookout for shoes belonging to Hania.
The FBI said on Tuesday that authorities investigating 13-year-old Hania Aguilar’s disappearance found the body at about 4.45pm near Lumberton (above)
Hania was kidnapped on November 5 from a mobile home park. Police said a man forced the teenager into an SUV and drove off. The SUV was later found dumped several miles from the mobile home park
The teen owned distinctive shoes that her kidnapper could have tried to get rid of, according to the FBI.
The shoes are white Adidas sneakers with colorful stitching on the back heel.
‘Think through what you’ve seen since November 5th, have you seen a discarded pair of shoes, did someone try to sell you shoes, did they show up in a donation bin? We want to make sure we draw attention to the shoes because they are distinctive and the kidnapper could try and get rid of them for that reason,’ FBI Agent Andy de la Rocha said.
In the weeks since Hania was kidnapped, the Lumberton Police Department and the FBI have followed more than 800 leads, interviewed more than 400 people and reviewed hours of surveillance footage.
Hania is a Hispanic female, 5 feet tall, weighing approximately 126 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt with flowers and blue jeans.
In a bid to generate new leads into her disappearance, the FBI asked the public to be on the lookout for shoes belonging to Hania
The teen owned distinctive shoes (pictured above) that her kidnapper could have tried to get rid of, according to the FBI