A 24-year-old Nebraska woman who went missing after an online date has been found dead three weeks after she disappeared.
The family of Sydney Loofe made the announcement Monday night on a Facebook page they’d created to help raise awareness about Loofe’s disappearance.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we share this most recent update with you all,” the message reads. “Please continue to pray for Sydney and our entire family. May God grant eternal rest unto thee. We love you Sydney.”
The Antelope County Sheriff’s Office also shared the news on its official Facebook page, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Loofe family … No other details are known at this time.”
According to Randy Thysse, special agent in charge of the Omaha division of the FBI, Loofe’s body was discovered Monday afternoon in an “open area” of rural Clay County. The location is roughly 90 miles southwest of Lincoln.
“On behalf of the FBI, we extend our deepest heartfelt condolences to Sydney’s parents, George and Susie, her brother and sister, her friends, an all that were very fortunate enough to know her,” Thysse said during a press conference.
While investigators believe the body belongs to Loofe, Thysee said a positive identification will not be made official until after autopsy. He was unable to say when that will occur.
“We are indeed conducting a very through investigation to ensure we can provide an accurate account of what happened to Sydney,” he said. “An investigation like this takes resources and time. We ask for your patience.”
Also speaking at the press conference was Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister, who credited the discovery of the body to the “analysis of digital evidence” and “putting people on the ground.”
Asked by a reporter if evidence was found at the scene, Bliemeister said, “We do believe that there is evidence of foul play and we will continue ... to determine exactly what that is.”
Loofe, of Lincoln, was last heard from by her family on Nov. 15. That evening, she went on a second date with a woman she’d met online. The woman she was last seen with, 23-year-old Bailey Boswell, admitted she was with Loofe in the hours before she was reported missing, police said.
Boswell, of Wilber, was arrested last week in an unrelated drug case. Her roommate, 51-year-old Aubrey Trail, was also picked up on a charge unrelated to Loofe’s disappearance. Authorities said Trail faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Prior to their arrests, Boswell and Trail posted several bizarre videos online in which they addressed reports about their possible involvement in Loofe’s disappearance.
“I’ve never killed anyone in my life and I’ve never hurt a female in my life, so take that for whatever the hell that’s worth,” Trail says in one of the videos.
Despite being named “persons of interest” by authorities, investigators have not filed charges against Boswell or Trail in Loofe’s disappearance.
