Authorities In Mississippi May Hold Clue To Missing Woman's Disappearance

Officials in Mississippi waited Wednesday, October 26, 2005 for medical and dental records to determine whether a body found in a burnt-out chicken house could be that of 21-year-old Olamide Adeyooye. Ola, as her friends called her, has been missing since October 13 from Normal, Illinois.

Ola was a senior at Illinois State University.  She had been studying laboratory sciences and biology.  She was due to graduate in December.  Ola was last seen at a video store near her apartment.

Investigators in Illinois continued to interview several 'persons of interest.' Ola's case gained attention through an Internet campaign launched by Adeyooye's friends.

Authorities in Mississippi notified investigators in Normal about an unidentified woman's body Monday in response to a nationwide alert seeking Adeyooye and her car. The car, a green 1996 Toyota Corolla with Illinois license LBG927, remains missing.

According to a statement from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the body was found Friday morning near Interstate 20 in the central part of the state. Firefighters put out a blaze in the chicken house four days earlier, and workers found the body as they were cleaning up the site.

Authorites Wonder If Blog Contributed To Disappearance

Ola is a native of Nigeria.  She moved to suburban Chicago when she was 8 and planned to return to the Chicago area to complete her clinical training at a hospital.

Her friends say she is studious, quick with a smile and hardworking an alternative rock fan who loved to shop and waitressed on weekends to help with her school expenses.

"I am my own hero, i am my own motivation, and let's not forget the people that are closest to me, my friends are those that get me through life," Adeyooye wrote in her online blog which her friends have publicized, hoping the photos posted on it might lead to a break in the case.

Some have suggested Ola's blog, which contains information about her school and where she worked, may have contributed to her disappearance.

Family And Friends Aid Search Efforts

Since her disappearance Ola's family has been a constant presence in Normal, helping police search.

At a vigil on campus, fellow senior Clarence Evans remembered Adeyooye as "a sister who walked this campus strong." He says she would be pleased that the gathering of hundreds of students and campus officials brought people from so many different backgrounds together.

Ola is described as 5'3,'' 130 lbs, with shoulder-legnth black hair.

Oct 26, 2005
Authorities Confirm Body Is Missing IL Student