The search for a missing 15-year-old Indiana girl has come to a tragic end.
Shaylee Snyder was reported as a missing runaway on Feb. 10, WISH-8 reported. The child had left home without her cell phone, preventing family members or the police from being able to track her.
Snyder's body was found near the Indianapolis Airport on Feb. 22, near where an abandoned 2016 Chevrolet sedan was also found, the newspaper reported. Although the Marion County Coroner's Office confirmed her death on Feb. 25, the coroner still has not determined a cause of death.
Police are reviewing video footage in an effort to find out more information, the TV station reported.
Snyder's family has criticized police for their handling of the situation. Family members claim that police did not follow up Snyder's disappearance with a sense of urgency because she had been declared a runaway, the Indianapolis Star reported. Snyder's mother told the newspaper that police "dropped the ball" on the case.
In an email to the Indianapolis Star, police defended their investigation. The newspaper reported that police investigators met with the family on Feb. 12. According to police, they were told that Snyder was not in immediate danger and were not told of any medical conditions. The family has asserted that police were told that Snyder had mental health issues and that she was with an adult man at the time of her disappearance.
Snyder's aunt has started a GoFundMe to support the family.
"Tiffany has been off work for the last few weeks trying to find Shaylee and I'm sure that funds will be needed to help with the funeral and bills that will be coming in," the page states. "I ask that if it's in your heart to help, then please do. No parents should ever have to go through what they are going through right now, and I don't want them having to worry about money on top of everything else."
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