Missing W.Va. coed found dead

HUNTINGTON, W.Va., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A body believed to be that of a college student missing for a week in West Virginia has been found in the basement of her apartment building.

Huntington police said they believed the body discovered Friday night is that of 21-year-old Marshall University journalism student Leah Hickman, but investigators released a statement Saturday saying positive identification had not been made, The (Huntington) Herald-Dispatch reported. The body was sent to the state Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy and identification, the newspaper said.

The body was discovered in a crawl space connected to a common laundry room. The building has four apartments but only two were rented.

Hickman was last seen at her apartment Dec. 14. Police said they believed she had gone to a fast-food restaurant about 5:30 p.m. and wasn't heard from again. She missed her shift at work at Dress Barn the following day and Dec. 16 her mother, Sherry Russell of Leon, W.Va., called police.

Police Lt. Rocky Johnson said there were strong reasons to believe the body was Hickman's and described her death as an apparent homicide, the newspaper said. Police had not named any suspects.

Hickman's employer offered a $10,000 reward.