Missing 18-Year-Old Undergraduate Found Dead ...Police Plan Autopsy

Police will conduct an autopsy on the body of Anna Smith, an 18-year-old student of the Appalachian State University, North Carolina, US, discovered on Saturday.

Smith's body was found alongside her driver's license and student ID, in a wooded area near the institution, University Herald s.

The 18-year-old freshman history major had been missing since the 2nd of September 2014.

Police say an autopsy will be conducted to determine the actual cause of death even as a spokesman of the family, Rev. Dana McKim said she committed suicide.

"It's a parent's worst nightmare to go that long without knowing where your child is," McKim said, was quoted as saying in a Charlotte Observer t.

"Despite the tragedy of it all, there is a sense of relief in that at least they now know where Anna is."

Smith was reportedly facing emotional trauma before she disappeared.

A memorial was held in her honour on Yesterday.