ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) _ Attorney General Paul Morrison confirmed Friday that a body discovered earlier this week in southeast Cowley County was that of a missing student.
Charges may be filed next week in the case, he said. A suspect is being held on unrelated charges.
``While there is a DNA test being conducted, we are confident this is Jodi Sanderholm,'' Morrison said in a statement.
Morrison spokeswoman Ashley Anstaett said the delay in identifying Sanderholm was the result of authorities' desire to be certain.
Sanderholm's car was found Tuesday at the bottom of Cowley State Fishing Lake, and her body was found the same day, about eight miles away. The 84-acre lake on U.S. 166 is about 15 miles east of Arkansas City.
DNA from the body has been sent to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation lab for positive identification. The cause of death has not been released, and Morrison said a court has sealed autopsy results.
The family has planned an 11 a.m. memorial service Tuesday. To accommodate the expected large crowds, it will be held at the W.S. Scott Auditorium at Cowley County Community College.