Teen found dead in Central Kentucky, a few days after she was reported missing
A 19-year-old woman was found dead in Central Kentucky Thursday after she’d been missing from the Louisville area for two days, according to law enforcement officials.
Lauren Reesor, who was last seen Tuesday at her sister’s Louisville area home, was found dead in a rural area of Stamping Ground Thursday afternoon, according to the Scott County sheriff’s office. Reesor was on her way to Eastern Kentucky University Tuesday, but her family lost contact with her.
Reesor’s body was found on Watkinsville Lane, according to Sgt. Eddie Hart from the Scott County sheriff’s office. Scott County Coroner John Goble confirmed Reesor’s identity, and Reesor’s family was notified of her death around 1 p.m.
No foul play was suspected in Reesor’s death, Hart said. Her body was taken to the medical examiner’s office in Louisville for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
Reesor’s vehicle was found Tuesday abandoned in a “remote” part of Stamping Ground in Scott County, according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office worked with the Louisville Metro Police Department to locate Reesor.
Reesor’s vehicle was found because a citizen filed a complaint about it being on their property, Hart said. Reesor hadn’t been reported missing yet. The Scott County sheriff’s office had the vehicle towed off the private property.
When Louisville police took the missing person report, they discovered the vehicle towed in Scott County was Reesor’s vehicle based on the license plate number, Hart said. Louisville police notified Scott County, and the two agencies began coordinating.
Reesor left her sister’s Louisville area home Tuesday to go to EKU, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner. Police report that she called her mother on that drive. They said she told her mom she planned on stopping to get groceries and gas, but her family didn’t hear from her again, according to WKYT.
The sheriff’s office didn’t notice anything suspicious about Reesor’s vehicle when they found it, according to WKYT.
Deputies on foot and on ATVs searched wooded areas and farmland for Reesor, according to Sgt. Eddie Hart from the Scott County sheriff’s office.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 10:14 AM.