ISU student may have been killed in central Iowa, police say

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Officials say the Iowa State University student found dead in Iowa City last September may have been killed in a central Iowa hotel.

The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/1ymTHdY ) information from a search warrant made public Thursday says 20-year-old Tong Shao had stayed in a Nevada, Iowa hotel from Sept. 5 to Sept. 7 with her boyfriend, Xiandnan Li, the sole person of interest in the case.

Ames Police Officer Chad Lovig wrote in the report that he believes evidence of Shao's death might be found in the hotel room the couple last used and on hotel property.

Shao's body was found in the trunk of her car outside an Iowa City apartment building last year. On Jan. 8, the Johnson County medical examiner ruled her death a homicide.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com