An autopsy revealed a Portage woman died from a single gunshot wound.
Murder charges are pending against an 18-year-old man who investigators believe is responsible for the death of the young woman, whose body was found by searchers over the weekend in northwestern Indiana.
Porter County Sheriff David Lain said Indiana University police took the man into custody in Bloomington, where he was visiting friends on a long-planned trip. He is not believed to be a student there.
Police said the man was an acquaintance of 19-year-old Amanda Bach of Portage. She was last seen by her family Thursday night when she went to visit the man.
The Times and the Post-Tribune reported Bach's body was found Saturday afternoon on railroad property not far from her abandoned car, about 300 yards from the man's home. Her car's emergency flashers were on and the driver's side door was hanging open, said Porter County Sheriff’s Sgt. Larry LaFlower.
Her purse, belongings and identification were inside the vehicle, he said.
The man was jailed in Porter County, awaiting the filing of criminal charges. Bach, of the 5500 block of Orchard Avenue in Portage, knew the man being questioned, Lain said.
Bach was first reported missing during the early morning hours on Friday, after she did not return home. She was last seen on Thursday, when she had gone to meet the suspect, LaFlower said
Sheriff’s police started their investigation into her disappearance on Friday, and at noon on Saturday a search party set out to find Bach. Her body was found at about 3:45 p.m., LaFlower said.
The body has signs of trauma, Lain said. He declined to comment on whether there were signs of sexual assault.
"Everyone in Amanda’s family loved her very much. She was too beautiful for this world, and we will miss her very much," said her uncle Dr. Carlos Cespedes.
(WGN)
