Missing Keansburg 11-year-old girl was killed — found dead near home
KEANSBURG — An 11-year-old girl reported missing Wednesday night was found dead on Thursday morning.
The body of Abbiegail "Abbie" Smith was found "in the immediate vicinity" of her home at the Hancock Arms Apartments on Hancock Street as police searched for her around 10:45 a.m., according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
He said the remains were found in an area behind the two-story apartment building but would not disclose an exact location.
Charles Webster, spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office, told New Jersey 101.5 the apartment building remains off limits to residents as investigators search apartments.
"We are going to turn over every rock in each apartment," Webster said.
The prosecutor said her death is considered a homicide but would not comment on whether authorities suspected anyone other than to say that they do not suspect any close relative. At a press conference earlier in the afternoon, Gramiccioni said that there was no need for parents and children to be worried and considered it an isolated crime.
Gramiccioni said investigators are still trying to piece together a timeline of where she may have been after leaving the apartment. He said Smith and her family were not known to police.
Keansburg police issued an alert via Facebook to locate the girl who was reported missing around 8:45 p.m. an hour after she left her home.
The area is a mix of residential and retail not far from the Henry Hudson Bike Trail.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Police and the Prosecutor's Office are investigating this. We have two great law enforcement agencies behind this," Keansburg Mayor George Hoff told New Jersey 101.5
This is the first reported homicide in Keansburg since 2012, when two men were killed in separate incidents.
Hoff said Abbie was a student in the Keansburg school district,.
Prosecutors ask anyone with information about this case to call the Prosecutor's Office at 800-533-7443.
Dino Flammia contributed to this report
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.
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