Although police cannot confirm whether or not the human remains found Thursday morning are those of Anjelica Hadsell, family and friends have gathered at her home in Norfolk.
Investigators recovered a body at 10 a.m. from a property about 50 miles from Hadsell’s home near the Virginia-North Carolina border.
The remains were found in waist-high grass beside an abandoned house on the property, according to USA Today.
The 18-year-old college freshman at Longwood University originally went missing on March 2 while she was at her parents’ home.
Police have expressed that they do not suspect foul play in her disappearance. But they have been actively managing several searches for her since the five weeks she has been missing. The investigation led them to the house where the remains were found.
Hadsell’s stepfather, Wesley Hadsell, was arrested on burglary and obstruction of justice charges shortly after in March. The prosecutors claim that he was impeding the police investigation, but his attorney is arguing that he was only trying to help.
A close friend to the family, Timothy Moran, has been speaking on behalf of the family. He has confirmed that Hadsell’s stepfather was only focused on bringing his daughter home.
Moran, also a local minister, said, “We’re just praying that all of this is resolved swiftly, and we’re just trying to work together as a family.”
He also added, “Everybody’s mind is going a hundred miles an hour,” Moran said. “Everyone wants Anjelica home. That’s the main goal. It’s not about anybody else but AJ at the moment.”
The Southampton County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and FBI agents are all involved in the continuing investigation.
Cpl. Melinda Wray, spokeswoman for the Norfolk Police Department, has stated that the medical examiner must first identify the body before any more information is released.
“We’ll be out here for a couple days,” police said. “The property is overgrown, mostly wooded. They’re literally going to be combing through every inch of this property searching for evidence.”
“We call for prayer,” Moran said. “That’s what we need most.”
