Police discover body of teenage girl in Victorian bushland after 13-year-old vanished on weekend

The remains of missing 13-year-old Layla Jeffery have been found in Donald in regional Victoria. Photograph: PR HANDOUT View image in fullscreen The remains of missing 13-year-old Layla Jeffery have been found in Donald in regional Victoria. Photograph: PR HANDOUT Police discover body of teenage girl in Victorian bushland after 13-year-old vanished on weekend Police say death of Layla Jeffery ‘suspicious’ after remains found in town of Donald in western Victoria Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The body of a 13-year-old girl who went missing on the weekend has been found in bushland in regional Victoria after an extensive search, with police saying they are treating the death as “suspicious”. Police found Layla Jeffery’s remains in Donald, a small town in western Victoria, late on Thursday afternoon. A large-scale search had been conducted in bushland west of Byrne Street after the teenager was reported missing on 5 July. Layla was last seen on McCracken Street in Donald the previous day, but had not been heard from since. Local police, along with specialist officers from the dog squad, air wing and search and rescue squad, were involved in the search. “While the remains are yet to be formally identified, they are believed to be those of the missing girl,” police said in a statement on Friday. A warrant was executed at a residential property in Donald shortly after 11am on Friday as part of the investigation. “The investigation into the circumstances around the death of the girl remains ongoing; however, police are currently treating it as suspicious,” the police spokesperson said. Explore more on these topics Victoria news Share Reuse this content