RAY COUNTY, Mo. – An official in Clay County, Mo. confirms the body of 23-year-old Carol Thomas has been found in Ray County, Mo.
A woman's body matching Thomas' description was found Thursday morning near 230th Street and Knutter in Ray County, Mo.
The body was found in a wooded area. The cause of death is not yet known.
Lt. Clint Reno, of the Excelsior Springs Police Department, says three suspects, two men and one woman, are in police custody.
All three suspects knew Carol Thomas.
A fourth person of interest, a woman at whose home the suspects were found, is also being questioned by police.
Witnesses reported three men attacked Thomas and put her in the trunk of a red car on Wednesday night.
Thomas was expected in Kansas City on Wednesday night, but never arrived.
The red car was later found in Lawson, Mo., where it had been set on fire.
Police had surrounded a house, north of Lawson, which was possibly connected to the red car.
The investigation has included law enforcement officers from Clay, Ray and Clinton counties and from the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Investigators are still working to determine exactly where all of the events involved in the case actually occurred. Reno says it appears the kidnapping happened in Clay County, the homicide happened in Ray County and the suspects were found in Clinton County.
Reno said they are confident they have all of the suspects directly involved in custody, and they are still working on determining a motive.
