Missing Teen Found Dead in Affluent Virginia Neighborhood

Police conducting a criminal investigation after reported runaway found dead.

ByABC News
August 28, 2013, 1:28 AM

Aug. 28, 2013— -- Police are conducting a criminal investigation after finding the body of a 16-year-old, reported runaway girl in an affluent neighborhood in Virginia.

Emylee Lonczak's body was discovered Friday in the shrubbery between million-dollar homes in the wealthy neighborhood of Vienna, Va. The teen was reported missing by her family two days before her body was found and police classified Emylee's case as a runaway.

Investigators reportedly received a tip that lead them to Vienna, one town over from Emylee's home in McLean. There, officers found her body near a group of pipes behind bushes.

Fairfax County police are awaiting the medical examiner to determine the cause of death.

"I think there's probably a little more to the story than we know at the time," an unidentified Vienna resident said. "I don't think it's a random crime in the neighborhood."

Emylee's family has not commented on her death, but the teen was a beloved student at McLean High School. The principal, Ellen Reilly, sent a letter home to families describing Emylee, a junior, as "a cherished student who will be greatly missed by all who knew her."

The teen, who had a twin brother and is one of seven children, was a popular and well-liked student. In online memorials, she was remembered by friends and teachers as a "sweet and innocent soul" with a "wonderful carefree spirit."

Police do not believe there are any threats to the community, despite the criminal investigation.

"It's extremely important to look into any avenues of her life, boyfriends, relationships with teachers, relationships at school," ABC News consultant and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said. "Any of those things play into police assessment as to what happened to her death."