Chelsea King- Body discovered this afternoon

Just in: 

Authorities announced Tuesday afternoon that the body of 17-year-old Chelsea King, who disappeared while jogging in Rancho Bernardo Community Park last Thursday, has been discovered in or near Lake Hodges.

The teen's body was found around 2 p.m. A candlelight vigil planned for the teen is still scheduled to happen tonight.

Earlier Tuesday, hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement personnel fanned out over fields, swamps and marshes around Lake Hodges for a sixth straight day Tuesday in a determined effort to find a Poway High School senior who went missing while on one of her regular jogs in the scenic area.

John Albert Gardner, 30, is in jail and awaiting a Wednesday arraignment on suspicion of raping and murdering King.

Gardner was arrested Sunday afternoon after authorities said his DNA was found on King's underwear, which was located in the Lake Hodges area.

The sheriff's department reported at 3:15 p.m. that they had rescheduled an earlier news conference for 3:45 p.m. 

And, from the L.A.Times:

The body of 17-year-old high school student Chelsea King was believed to have been found Tuesday in a shallow grave near a lake not far from her northern San Diego County home, authorities said.

““There is a strong likelihood we have found Chelsea,” said Sheriff Bill Gore at a Tuesday afternoon news conference, confirming the worst fears of the Poway High School senior’s family and friends who had harbored hopes that she might still be alive.

King, a straight-A student and cross-country runner, had been missing since Thursday, when she went out for a run in hilly parkland near Lake Hodges, located near Escondido.

A convicted sex offender, John Albert Gardner III, 30, was arrested Sunday night in connection with King’s disappearance and will be charged Wednesday, according to the San Diego County district attorney’s office.

King’s disappearance prompted an outpouring of  support in San Diego and beyond, with hundreds of people joining search efforts and more than 76,000 becoming fans of a Facebook page. Her parents, Brent and Kelly King, appeared on national news broadcasts expressing the belief that she was still alive. 

Authorities said earlier Tuesday that Gardner had been linked to an attack in December on a 22-year-old woman in the same park where King disappeared. Gardner allegedly tackled the woman and demanded money. She escaped after hitting Gardner in the face, San Diego police said.

Gardner is registered as a sex offender and lives in Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, but he had been visiting his mother in Rancho Bernardo, just south of Lake Hodges, officials said.

Gardner served five years in connection with a 2000 attack on a 13-year-old girl, officials said. After getting out of prison, he wore a global positioning system tracking device until his parole ended in 2008, Gore said.

Our prayers and heartfelt sympathy go out to Chelsea's family. 

There will be more on this in the blog as the information becomes available. 

NOTE:

photo below of the accused: