Jon Lacina’s body likely found, family says

A crime scene investigator looks into a building adjacent to the brick building at the old ISU Dairy farm where a body was discovered by an ISU Police Officer at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Members of the family have said that the body is that of missing ISU student Jon Lacina however Tom Lacina, Jon’s father, said that the family is waiting for the official results from the medical examiner to confirm it. The property had previously been searched in January. Photo: Rashah McChesney/Iowa State Daily

Daily Staff

Jon Lacina’s brother, Joe, said the body discovered Wednesday has been identified as his brother, missing ISU student Jon Lacina. Their father, Tom Lacina, said the family is still awaiting the results from the medical examiner’s office.

“We’re really relying on the medical examiner to do the final identification,” Tom said.

Joe said Thursday that his family had been informed of the identity of the body. ISU police and the university news service said they could not confirm the identification because the state medical examiner has yet to confirm the body’s identity.

“We’re being cautious. We want to make certain that it really is,” Tom said.

None of the family members have seen the body.

Joe said Thursday afternoon the body found at the Dairy Pavilion south of campus was his brother’s. After nearly three months, an ISU police officer found the body while searching the brick building at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The officer was examining remote areas of a property south of campus, southwest of the intersection of Mortensen Road and Hayward Avenue. The site is approximately one mile south of Central Campus.

Lacina was last seen Jan. 22 leaving 300 Stanton Ave. at approximately 9:30 p.m. His father, Tom, reported him missing to ISU Police Jan. 31.

Law enforcement continued daily searches and investigative efforts throughout the last three months, including extensive searches of snow piles and Lake LaVerne.

Find updates to this story here throughout the day, as they become available.

Map: Intersection of Mortensen Road and Hayward Ave., where the body of a deceased male was discovered Wednesday night.

View Tracking Jon Lacina in a larger map