As part of their investigation, Clay County Sheriff's Deputies headed to a landfill in Georgia to search for the missing seven-year-old Somer Thompson.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler reported, "Based on that identification I contacted Deana, Somer's mother, and gave her the grim and sad news that we had made an identification of the body."
Deputies had trailed a municipal garbage truck the 48-miles to the Georgia dump.
Investigators are waiting on the autopsy to determine the manner of death.
"One of my detectives with the Sheriff's office came to me Tuesday morning and said you know just as a matter of routine, this is something we should do, we should follow these trucks and see if there is any evidence. It turned out to be the key in this case," said Sheriff Beseler.
Hundreds of volunteers, including cadets from a nearby naval base, fanned out in search of Somer.
Walking home from school on Monday, the second grader stormed off after having a spat with her brother. She was never seen again. The quick discovery did little to ease her mother's suffering.
"I feel terrible. I'm guilt ridden," said Somer's mother Diena Thompson.
A candlelight vigil for Somer turned into a memorial.
Thompson asked those gathered to join her in a rendition of Somer's favorite song, "You are my Sunshine."
The sheriff's office said they've questioned more than 70 sex offenders in the area.
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