A family is grieving after officials confirmed Thursday afternoon that the body found Wednesday at Lake Tangipahoa is that of missing 18-year-old Leslie Allen of McComb.
“We just don’t understand,” said Juliette Allen, Leslie’s aunt. “She was a sweet kid.”
She described her niece as a “polite, energetic, fun, loving and outgoing person.”
Gloria Joseph, another aunt, said Leslie always yelled hello as she walked by her house.
Allen was reported missing Sept. 6, two days after Pike County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a woman acting strangely near Irene Road.
Lawmen said Allen was the woman in question.
On Tuesday, officials brought search dogs to Percy Quin State Park in a search for Allen.
Authorities received a call around 10:30 a.m., Wednesday from someone who said they had been exploring the recently drained lake and spotted a body, Pike County Chief Deputy Steve Rushing said.
The discovery came as work continues to repair the dam at the lake following heavy rains from Hurricane Isaac.
Workers began lowering the lake after the hurricane struck two weeks ago, and now the body of water is nearly dry.
A number of area law enforcement and government agencies gathered at the Park’s group camp Wednesday to recover the body. They included Percy Quin State Park manager Will Busby and his staff, Civil Defense Director Richard Coghlan and his staff, McComb Fire Chief B.J, Nettles and the McComb Fire Department and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and his officers for their help during the recovery. Sheriff Mark Shepherd thanked them for their support.
