Missing Gary Mom Ariana Taylor: Police say life-size 'silicone doll'- not body - has been found
Missing Gary Mom Ariana Taylor: Police say life-size ‘silicone doll’- not body – has been found
As family members of missing Gary mom Ariana Taylor stood by, Gary police said that an earlier statement that a body had been found was wrong. It turns out that "body" (which was located near where Taylor's car had been found) was really a life-size silicone doll. Nate Rodgers reports.
GARY, Indiana - Gary police said late Sunday that a "body" that had been found not far from where police located the SUV of missing Gary mom Ariana Taylor was actually a "life-sized silicone/rubber type female doll."
That was according to Gary Police Lt. Dawn Westerfield, who had emailed media something quite the opposite earlier said on Sunday: "Upon arrival officers discovered a body; however, no identification is able to be made at this time."
Lake County Coroner David J. Pastrick said in a statement on Sunday night: "On Sunday… the Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to what we were advised of being a death scene. Lake County Dispatch was notified by a Nipsco employee doing work in the area of 15th Ave and Lake St in the city of Gary. The investigation turned out to be a false alarm. The body turned out to be not human and was a lifelike mannequin."
Taylor's family was at the scene at 15th Avenue and Lake Street on Sunday before the situation was confirmed to be a false alarm.
Taylor has now been missing for more than a week. Family members say she’d gone to have drinks with two friends on April 2. Taylor was last seen leaving a Merrillville, Indiana apartment complex after 1 a.m. on April 3.
Police had found Taylor’s SUV crashed in a wooded area near the I-80/94 Junction in Gary. Her blue jeans and gym shoes were found a short distance away.