Officials say a body found in the Des Moines River is believed to be that of a missing 15-year-old girl. Preliminary results show that the body is that of Kathlynn Shepard, who was last seen in late May, 2013.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of a “possible body seen” in a log jam in the river on Friday, June 7 around 7 p.m. According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, zip-ties were found with the body and the clothing with the body was consistent with what Kathlynn was last seen wearing.
Kathlynn and another young girl were abducted after getting off the school bus on Monday, May 20. The other girl, a 12-year-old, said Michael Klunder offered her and Kathlynn a job mowing lawns, but then took them to a hog confinement and zip-tied their hands.
The 12-year-old was able to get away, running to a house to call for help.
The evening of May 20, Klunder was found dead at a home, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
A search ensued for Kathlynn in the days following, which was slowed due to flooding. According to WHO, a fisherman found the body Friday in an area that had yet to be formally searched, 15-miles from where she was last seen.
The department said an autopsy was scheduled for Saturday morning at the State Medical Examiner’s Office.