MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The search for a St. Paul teenager missing for more than a week came to a tragic end.
Investigators found an 18-year-old girl’s body Thursday at an impound lot in Columbia Heights. The teen was hidden in a car that had been towed from an apartment building in Brooklyn Park more than a week ago.
Family and friends say the woman found is Brittany Clardy.
“I found out she passed away: it was like shock mode,” said Quintin Jackson, a friend.
Friends of Clardy say it hasn’t sunk in yet that the outgoing, caring and beautiful teen is gone.
“She had a spirit, she had a nice vibe around her,” Jackson said.
Many of her friends and people in her community had been praying for Clardy.
After nine days of looking, the search seemed to hit a dead end until a car parked in front of a Brooklyn Park apartment complex was towed last Wednesday.
“I’m still in shock right now; I don’t think it has really hit me,” said Taqoyia Wells, another friend.
Wells spoke with Jackson by telephone Friday.
Wells introduced Jackson to Clardy years ago, and all three were friends.
The two now left behind say it’s hard to believe such a sweet spirit has been silenced.
“She was a very friendly person,” Wells said. “Every time I saw her she had a smile on her face.”
Jackson added: “It hurts to see my community, my generation dying like this.”
Investigators are calling this a “death investigation” but won’t give any other details.
