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Mother of missing teen says remains 'most likely my baby's'
By KRISTEN GELINEAU
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va.

The mother of a missing college student said Thursday she believes a body found in a wooded area is her daughter, who was last seen alive at her dorm Sept. 5.

"I'm sure you can imagine the shock and horror I feel knowing that the body found is most likely my baby's," Taylor Behl's mother, Janet Pelasara, said at a news conference outside of her home in Vienna, Va.

A task force investigating Behl's disappearance found a decomposed body in rural Mathews County on Wednesday _ one month after the 17-year-old Virginia Commonwealth University freshman vanished. The body was found in a grave off a dirt path that led from a county road.

"We certainly believe that the strongest suspect they have already in custody," said Pelasara's attorney, George Peterson.

Ben Fawley, a 38-year-old amateur photographer who was one of the last people to see the teen before she disappeared, is being held without bond on child pornography charges. He had a romantic relationship with the teen, according to his attorney Chris Collins. He has not been charged in Behl's disappearance.

Peterson said the parents of one of a former Fawley girlfriend owns a property next to the area where the remains were found. Photos of that property were found on Fawley's web site, Peterson said.

"As far as I understand, Taylor has never been to that area _ however, as you may know, Ben Fawley has been," Peterson said.

A telephone message left for Collins was not immediately returned.

Investigators on Thursday continued to process the crime scene, which is on private property about 75 miles east of Richmond.

Richmond police spokeswoman Cynthia Price said a positive identification was several days away. But she said Pelasara had made a "a pretty accurate assumption."

Peterson would not confirm reports that clothing found on the body matched the description of the clothes Behl was wearing the day she disappeared, but said the family has "a high degree of confidence that the body found is Taylor's."

The family was planning to make funeral arrangements later Thursday, Peterson said.

Behl has not been seen since she left her dormitory room, taking only her cell phone, a small amount of cash, a student ID and her car keys. She told her roommate she would be back in a few hours.

The teen's car was found two weeks later, less than two miles from her dorm. Her license plates had been replaced with Ohio plates reported stolen several weeks before she disappeared.

Peterson said he believes more than one person might have been involved in Behl's disappearance. Police dogs tracked the scent from Behl's car to the home of a 22-year-old employee of the Village Cafe, where Behl had dinner the night she disappeared, Peterson said. Fawley also worked at the cafe, Peterson said.

"It seems very coincidental and suspicious to me," Peterson said.

The man was charged with cocaine possession after police searched his apartment, Peterson said. He later took a polygraph test, and failed two sections: one in which he said he didn't know Behl, and one in which he said he'd never been in her car, Peterson said.

Fawley was questioned by police in her disappearance and classified as a person of interest at one point during the investigation. He was arraigned last week on 16 counts of possession of child pornography.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Mike Jagels said authorities have found at least 30 videos on Fawley's computers depicting children as young as 1 in sexual acts.

Detectives later entered Fawley's home looking for anything that might belong to Behl. They seized more than 70 items, including a box of bones, a machete and a cutting of a box spring bearing a reddish-brown stain, according to a search warrant.

Residents of Mathews said the area where the body was discovered is isolated and difficult to find unless someone is familiar with it.

"Whoever put that body there, it's gotta be somebody local," said Christopher Dehoux, 20, who live is in Moon, less than three miles from where the remains were found. "It's nothing but old trash and garbage. You'd have to be looking awful close to see something."