Body found at Va. park positively identified as 16-year-old Jholie Moussa, autopsy finds

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Police say the body found last week at a Fairfax County park has been officially identified as 16-year-old Jholie Moussa, according to an autopsy.

Moussa's body was found last Friday morning at Woodlawn Neighborhood Park in Alexandria, which is less than one mile from her home. Police say her body was covered in leaves and debris. Her body was taken to the medical examiner's office for official identification. Investigators said they were able to tentatively identify Moussa last Friday by the appearance of the body and by a tattoo.

Police said on Friday that this was the second time they had searched the park -- with the first time coming within days after she was reported missing.

According to police, Moussa's death is being investigated as a homicide.

"The autopsy results are pending," Fairfax County police said in a statement. "At this time, we believe this is an isolated incident. We are continuing to investigate every lead."

According to FOX 5's Evan Lambert, a source has confirmed one of last phone calls to Moussa's phone came from an area near the park where she was found dead. However, the GPS of the cellphone was not accurate enough to tell if the call came exactly from the park. Moussa's family had previously said an unknown man borrowed a 12-year-old boy's phone to make a call to Moussa's phone on the day she went missing. It remains unclear if that man is a suspect in this case.

The 16-year-old girl, who was a tenth grade student at Mount Vernon High School, was last seen on Jan. 12 and reported missing the following day.

Moussa's mother told FOX 5 her daughter left home at about 4:15 p.m. on Jan. 12 and she told her twin sister she was going to a party in Norfolk. Police said they looked into that tip, but it did not pan out.

Investigators had originally stated that Moussa did not appear to be an imminent danger since she left her home on her own accord. Until Friday, Moussa's case was being treated as a juvenile runaway.

Detectives said they had spoken with about 20 people who had recent contact with Moussa. However, police said many of those 20 people who were friends with Moussa were not fully cooperating with investigators.

Fairfax County police said nearly two weeks ago that the FBI was assisting in the search for Moussa.

The park where Moussa's body was found was reopened on Monday. A memorial of stuffed animals, candles and balloons sat at the entrance of the park.

A memorial service for Moussa is scheduled to be held Thursday at a church in Springfield.