Police Believe Body Found in Macon is Missing Woman

Macon Police believe the body found early Thursday morning is 27-year-old Lauren Giddings, a former Mercer law student from Maryland. Investigators made the determination because of the location of where the body was found, even though forensics results have not come in.

Police Chief Mike Burns says they have several people of interest in the case. Burns would not discuss what lead them to search the Ocmulgee River or the city landfill, but says they are expanding their search into weekend, but don’t anticipate making any arrests tonight.

Burns also says there were no signs of forced entry into Giddings’ apartment.

The chief would not comment on why it is taking so long to identify the body, except that it has to do with the condition of the body, but Burns says it is very clear it is a homicide and at the time it doesn’t appear to be a random act.

“Well we haven’t come to a final determination on that yet. What we do know, maybe it wasn’t random but it’s just too early to say for sure,” said Burns.

Police have named Stephen McDaniel as a person of interest in the case, but police caution that no one has been excluded from the investigation.

McDaniel is currently in jail on unrelated burglary charges.

A statement from the dean of Mercer’s law school, Gary Simson, released this afternoon.

Simson says, “Words cannot adequately express the grief and sorrow that the law school community feels in these tragic circumstances.”

Continue to stay with us here on 41nbc.com and on 41 NBC for continuing updates to this story.