Tentative ID on body stuffed in suitcase, found in Missouri

NOEL, Mo. – Investigators have tentatively identified a body found on a hillside in southwest Missouri as a mother of three young children.

McDonald County Sheriff Michael Hall said positive identification of the body found July 29 is pending but authorities believe it was 25-year-old Jessica McCormack. He said McCormack’s family was notified.

The Joplin Globe reports Hall initially announced the tentative identification Thursday out of concern for McCormack’s three young children, who were considered missing.

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, said Friday the children’s father had dropped them off with a relative a few days ago. Police are seeking the man.

McCormack was last seen around Noel in mid-July.

Investigators believe her body was stuffed into a suitcase that rolled down a hill after being thrown from a moving vehicle. The body fell out as it deteriorated.

No cause of death was announced.

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Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com