Searchers Find Body of Missing Teen in the Woods

Oct. 20, 2008 — -- Investigators are trying to determine how a 17-year-old Plainville, Mass., girl died after she disappeared Friday night from an underage drinking party near an abandoned airport.

Taylor Meyer's body was found today in a swampy area near the airport in Norfolk where she and other teens were drinking Friday night, Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating said.

"There was no obvious sign of trauma. We are not able to deal with the question of cause of death at this time," Keating said.

Meyer, a senior at King Philip Regional High School, was one of about 15 teenagers who partied Friday night in a wooded area off the abandoned airport's runway.

Norfolk Detective Nathan Fletcher said the teenagers were drinking beer and vodka shots. Meyer, who lived in nearby Plainville, left around 11 p.m. and headed out of the wooded area in the general direction of her home, her friends told police.

Fletcher said Meyer's friends told police that the teen was supposed to be picked up by a cousin. That cousin could not understand what Meyer was saying when she called around 10:30 p.m. and didn't know where to pick her up, Fletcher said.

Meyer's mother reported her missing around 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

"There was some confusion," Fletcher said. "She was supposed to be sleeping over at a friend's house so mom wasn't expecting her home."

Police and rescue teams searched the area through the weekend and again today using scent dogs.

Fletcher said that police didn't know the area was a popular teen party spot until Meyer's disappearance. The kids parked at a nearby friend's house so their cars didn't draw attention on the back roads.

"They carpooled and some of the parents picked up their kids from the party in the woods," he said, adding that police do not know who supplied the alcohol.

Norfolk is located about 20 miles south of Boston.