Body Found in Search for Teen Porn Star
Kansas authorities have not yet said whether the female corpse is Emily Sander.
Nov. 29, 2007 -- Kansas authorities say the physical description of a body found about 50 miles east of El Dorado matches that of college student and aspiring porn star Emily Sander, The Associated Press reported this afternoon.
Authorities have not yet identified the body, according to Tom Boren, police chief in El Dorado. The body was found along U.S. 54, Boren said.
Sander was last seen leaving a bar in El Dorado with Israel Mireles, 24, who has since taken off. Police say Sander met Mireles for the first time at the bar.
It was revealed last night that the girl, who was described by her grandfather as a "sweet," good kid, had just embarked on a career in pornography under the screen name Zoey Zane.
Sander's brother, Jacob Sander, confirmed that his sister was, in fact, Zoey Zane, an actress who describes herself on an introduction to her Web site as "a spunky little teen with a super sexy side."
"As soon as I turned 18, I started shooting for my site," Sander writes under her screen name.
Nikki Watson, who described herself as a close friend of Sander's at Butler Community College in Kansas, first revealed Sander's double life Wednesday, telling the AP that Sander "enjoyed" making movies for the extra money. "Nobody in El Dorado knew besides her close friends," Watson said, adding that Sander recently signed a contract with a pornography company and had just told her parents over the Thanksgiving holiday. Sander's boyfriend, according to Watson, did not approve.
The FBI and Internet crime experts from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation have been called in to try to determine whether Sander's work as a porn star may have contributed to her disappearance. So far, the investigation by the El Dorado police has uncovered clues suggesting a brutal altercation involving Sander may have taken place at a motel near the bar.
Eyewitnesses told police that they saw Sander leave the Retreat Bar in El Dorado with Mireles late Friday night. It was unclear whether Sander went with Mireles voluntarily, Capt. Justin Phillips told ABC News earlier this week.
On Saturday, the manager at the Italian restaurant where Mireles worked went to the El Dorado motel -- where his employee was temporarily living -- when Mireles failed to show up at work.
Police were called when the motel manger and Mireles' boss discovered a blood-spattered motel room. On Tuesday night, investigators released a photograph of a floral print bedspread that was missing from the crime scene. Tests are being conducted to determine whether the blood belongs to Sander.
Sander's car was found on Saturday a half a mile away parked outside the Retreat Bar.
Meanwhile, Mireles likely fled south to Texas in a Ford Taurus rental car police recovered Tuesday. Phillips, of the El Dorado police, said authorities believe Mireles is traveling with his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend Victoria Martens, adding that they suspect the pair may be heading for the Mexican border. Phillips said they do not believe Sander is travelling with the pair.
The revelation that Sander was keeping a double life as a porn star came as a shock to Sander's grandmother, who said she did not believe what people were saying about the teen. Earlier in the week, in an appeal to the public, Sander's grandfather, Clement, described her as "a sweet little girl" who has "done real good in school."
Sander is described as 5 foot, 3 inches with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing jeans, a "Don't Mess With Texas" T-shirt and sneakers. She has multiple tattoos and body piercings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.