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A body has been found during the search for a missing Vermont college student who was last seen on campus about a week ago.
Lia Smith, 21, was last seen on Middlebury College’s campus on the night of Oct. 17 and was reported missing that Sunday, the school announced. Smith, a trans woman from California, is a senior double majoring in computer science and statistics and a former Middlebury women’s swimming and diving team athlete.
On Thursday afternoon, around 1:30 p.m., Vermont State Police said they located an unidentified body in a field west of the Middlebury College campus. The location where the body was found is in the town of Cornwall near The Knoll, the college’s organic farm, the agency said.
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Police said they secured the area and began a death investigation. At this time, officials are awaiting an autopsy to confirm the identity of the victim and to determine the cause and manner of death.
That autopsy is scheduled to take place on Friday in Burlington, Vermont. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Vermont Department of Health for comment.
At this time, investigators said they do not believe the death is suspicious.
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Police initially said they would hold a live press update on Thursday afternoon, but canceled it shortly before it was set to begin. The Middlebury Police Department called in additional agencies, including the Vermont State Police, New York State Police and the FBI, to help after trying to find Smith using ground searches and drones for several days.
Middlebury College President Ian Baucom said in a statement on Instagram Thursday that the college is “doing all we can to support our community right now.”
“I know that this is extraordinarily difficult news to receive as we continue to hold Lia and all her family and friends tight in our hearts,” he wrote. “As ever, please care for yourselves and one another.”
Middlebury College is a prestigious private liberal arts college, known as a “Little Ivy,” in Addison County, Vermont, located in the state’s Champlain Valley. According to the college, the campus population is about 2,800 undergraduate students.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Middlebury Police Department and Middlebury College for comment.
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