Autopsy complete for Iowa State student found in Iowa City

IOWA CITY - The autopsy for the Iowa State Student whose body was found in a trunk in Iowa City in September has been completed.

Mike Hensch, administrator for the Johnson County Medical Examiner's Office, said the autopsy for 20-year-old Tong Shao has been turned over to the Iowa City Police Department and the Johnson County Attorney's Office. However, there was little else about the autopsy that Hensch could share, including Shao's cause and manner of death.

'We're not in a position to do that yet,” Hensch said Monday.

Shao was reported missing to the Ames Police Department on Sept. 17, but her friends said they last heard from her on Sept. 8, when she texted them to say she was in Iowa City visiting a friend. She was thought to be heading to Minnesota after her Iowa City visit, which is why her friends did not report her missing for another nine days.

Police have previously said they do not know exactly when Shao died, but referred to Sept. 6 and 7 as a 'critical time” in the investigation. Her body was not discovered until Sept. 26, when a Toyota Camry believed to belong to her was found parked at the Dolphin Lake Point Enclave. Shao's body was discovered in the trunk of the car.

In late September, Iowa City police described Shao's death as 'suspicious.” However, the department said it would not release the cause and manner of death until Shao's autopsy was complete.

The police department has identified Xiangnan Li, a Chinese international student at the University of Iowa who has been described by police as Shao's boyfriend, as a person of interest in the case. Li is believed to have returned to China shortly after Shao's disappearance.

On Oct. 10, police filed two search warrants related to Li in Johnson County. However, those warrants remain under seal.