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Investigators await missing girl DNA results
STONEVILLE, North Carolina (CNN) -- After initially downplaying a connection between a body found in a rural area and a missing girl from neighboring Virginia, authorities here Friday said there are several characteristics linking the two. Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page told CNN forensics experts in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, determined that the skull and bones found Wednesday on private property near a creek and small pond are those of a white female, aged 9 or 10. "The time of death was less than a year, probably early this summer," Page said. Jennifer Short, 9, has been missing since August 15. Her mother and father were found shot to death in their home in Bassett, Virginia, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) away from Stoneville. Page noted that both towns are located off Highway 220. A North Carolina man found the skull when he spotted his dogs with what he initially thought was a wig. Investigating authorities found a part of a rib cage as well as the skull, which had "almost a full head of hair," according to Maj. Jim Thomas of the Rockingham County, North Carolina, Sheriff's Office. Samples from the remains were sent to Roanoke, Virginia, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for analysis. Only DNA testing will determine if the body is that of Short. Authorities in North Carolina and Virginia initially downplayed theories that the little girl had been found. Henry County Sheriff H.F. Cassell said Thursday that initial analysis of hair samples showed the body was probably not Short's, but he said further testing would take place. Also, Thomas had said that teeth found in the skull's jaw appeared to be larger than would be found in a 9-year-old girl, and that the remains' hair color was red. Jennifer was described as brown-haired at the time of her disappearance. Forensic experts in North Carolina now say the hair found on the skull is medium brown and shoulder-length. Page said the teeth found with the remains are in bad shape but may be able to be used to compare with dental X-rays and records of Jennifer Short. The sheriff said crews would search the small pond Monday that joins the creek where most of the remains were found. The pond was partially drained this week but heavy rains hampered investigators' efforts. "At this time, I can't say anything as to cause of death," Page said, adding that more bones were found near the creek Friday. "But we're hoping, like everyone else, that it's not the little girl," the sheriff said. Investigators in Henry County, Virginia, were not available for comment Friday evening.
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