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Body Found In Arvada Is That Of Missing Girl

ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - Police in Arvada said Tuesday afternoon the body found in the city early in the morning is that of a girl who was reported missing on Monday.

Kristina Vlassenko
Kristina Vlassenko (credit: Arvada Police)

The body of Kristina Vlassenko, 10, was found at a construction site near 58th Avenue and Oak Street, close to the Howard D. Lutz Sports Complex near the center of town. A construction worker found the body.

The construction site is surrounded by a fence, and Vlassenko's body was found in a pool of water in the site. Police are trying to figure out how she got into the site.

Police don't suspect foul play.

Vlassenko has autism and was wearing a tracking system, but it failed to show showed her location after she went missing.

"We have a lot of questions about that. She was outfitted with this device. We meet with Christina and her family once a month to change out the batteries," Susan Medina with Arvada police said.

The Vlassenko family is Russian and lives a community rich with people from Russia. Police are working with them using a translator. They are also using tips from witnesses to try to piece together a timeline.

"Me and my husband were trying south on Kipling yesterday and we saw her at 4 p.m. in the left hand lane and she was kind of walking on the street, on the median," witness Tiffany Mitchell said. "I didn't know anything until I woke up this morning and it just broke my heart because I didn't think to call police yesterday."

A massive search went on all night that did include the construction site.

Vlassenko was a student at Fremont Elementary School. The last day of school was Tuesday, but counselors will be on hand Wednesday morning.

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