A California teen who went missing earlier this week after walking away without shoes from a sleepover has been found dead, KCRA-TV reports.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, the body of 16-year-old Trinity Backus was located about a half mile north of the residence where she was last seen, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
That was around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday evening when Backus was observed walking away from a home in the 18000 block of Kentucky Ravine Road in Nevada County, California, according to The Union newspaper.
Search and rescue teams found Backus’ body in a “very heavily wooded river drainage area,” the sheriff’s office said in a written statement.
“At this point there is nothing suspicious and her cause of death is unknown,” the sheriff’s office added.
The coroner’s office will conduct an autopsy and a full investigation into the teen’s death, according to KXTV.
At the time she was last seen, Backus was reportedly wearing pajamas and a maroon robe. Her aunt, Ashley Bjorklund, told Fox News that the teen had been sleeping over at her house and wasn’t wearing any shoes at the time she left.
Backus’ friend who also was sleeping over reportedly said she did not know where the teen was going.
“She thought Trinity was coming back,” Bjorklund told Fox News.
The sheriff’s office thanked “the hundreds of volunteers from agencies throughout Northern California that have assisted in this search” and asked that the public respect the family’s privacy.
“We have been in communication with the family and extend our deepest condolences to them as they work through this loss,” the sheriff’s office said. “We ask that you please respect their privacy.”
To report information about the case, call the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office at 530-265-7880.
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[Featured image: Trinity Backus/Nevada County Sheriff’s Office]
