Unidentified body found inside missing co-ed’s submerged car during search

Toni Anderson, 20, vanished in January

Kansas City investigators found the car belonging to Toni Anderson in the Missouri River on Friday, with a body inside the vehicle.

The Kansas City Star reported that the body was believed to belong to the missing woman, but the Kansas City police have not made a public identification.

Anderson, 20, went missing on January 15 after leaving her job as a server at a club. She was last seen driving to a convenience store by an officer who had pulled her over for an improper lane change, and released her with a warning. Her last text message was to a friend saying that she had gotten pulled over.

Toni’s mother, Liz Anderson, had previously said she believed her daughter was kidnapped by human traffickers.

“I believe she’s been taken, and I believe it’s human trafficking,” Mrs. Anderson told The Wichita Eagle in February. “They can’t find her. The Kansas City detectives have been amazing, but they’re perplexed.”

Mrs. Anderson confirmed the discovery of the vehicle to the Kansas City Star.

“We just got the news — there’s a body in her car,” she said, reportedly sobbing while speaking on her cell phone. “There is somebody inside.”

“I just don’t know how she got there,” the mother continued. “It doesn’t make sense, one bit.”

Police reportedly told the Kansas City Star they do not suspect foul play. Kansas City Police Capt. Stacey Graves told the newspaper that the body will be taken to the medical examiner for evaluation, and to determine a cause of death.
 “KCPD has searched tirelessly for Toni Anderson, as we do in all missing person cases,” Graves said. “We have searched for her by land, air, sonar, water. Our thoughts and prayers are with Toni Anderson’s family this evening.”

Photo: Kansas City Police Department