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A Syracuse woman, whose body was found June 10 in a creek near Syracuse, was murdered, officials said today.
Jill Phillips, 25, was reported missing on April 10 and was last seen on April 1. She failed to make several appointments, did not report for work and did not contact family or friends during the nine days between the time she was last seen and the time she was reported missing.
Syracuse Police Department initiated the case as a missing person matter until her body was discovered by two teen-agers canoeing near the Kosciusko/Elkhart county line. The location of the discovery was in Turkey Creek, north of CR 1300N and one-half mile west of CR 300E.
The ongoing investigation has been a joint effort between the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department and the SPD.
Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd said that the report on the autopsy that was conducted at St. Joseph Medical Center in Fort Wayne was released on Monday. As a result of the findings, Phillips' death was ruled a homicide. Ladd said Phillips died as a result of "homicidal violence." He declined to provide any specific details as to how Phillips died because of the ongoing investigation.
Several people have been interviewed during the investigation of this case and physical evidence in the case was sent in August to FBI and Indiana State Police laboratories, according to Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine.
"We are awaiting those results," Rovenstine said. "We're waiting to see where the physical evidence leaves us." He declined to indicate whether anyone was specifically being focused on as a suspect in the case.
