'No Evidence' of Foul Play: Yorkville Police Close Case On Death Of Missing Girl, 16

YORKVILLE, IL — Yorkville police closed the investigation into the death of Aiyana Nicole Williams, the 16-year-old who was reported missing June 16, nearly a week before she was found dead.

"Investigators have determined there is no evidence to suggest that Aiyana’s death resulted from abuse, self-inflicted injuries, foul play, or any criminal involvement," the Yorkville Police Department said in a Tuesday news release titled "investigation completion."

Williams went missing near her home in the Country Hills subdivision, and officers found her remains during a foot patrol and drone search six days later in a field off Route 71 and Country Hills Drive in Yorkville, Patch reported.

When police first reported the teen missing, they asked the community to check their properties, including under porches, saying Williams "has previously been known to hide in secluded or covered outdoor spaces."

In the update Tuesday, Yorkville police debunked the "great amount of misplaced speculation online" about the case, saying investigators were "compelled to rely solely on verified evidence and expert analysis."

"Yorkville police have completed a comprehensive investigation that included a post-mortem examination, toxicological analysis, entomological analysis, DNA testing, extensive interviews, and digital forensic examinations of family members’ mobile devices," officials said.

RELATED: New Details Released In Death Of Missing Yorkville Teen

The Kendall County Coroner's Office revealed in mid-September that investigators had positively identified the remains as the teenager's. The process took longer than usual and could not be completed locally "due to the complexity of skeletal DNA analysis," Patch reported.

On July 2 and July 17, the coroner's office said etymologists from Valparaiso University and Ohio University, respectively, submitted independent reports that both concluded that "based on multiple insect samples submitted from the area around the body and from the body directly," Williams died between June 17 and 18. The finding was "consistent with the timeline reported to our office by both the Yorkville Police Department and Aiyana Williams’ family members," the coroner's office said.

On July 31, NMS Laboratories of Horsham, Pennsylvania, submitted a report concluding that caffeine was the only substance detected in Williams' submitted tissues, according to the coroner's office.

On Aug. 17, Kendall County's forensic pathologist submitted a report concluding that the body showed no sign of perimortem trauma, but noted "noted that the advanced state of decomposition precluded adequate examination and determination of the cause and manner of death."

On Sept. 10, DNA Solutions of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, submitted a report showing that DNA samples collected from the body were, "with 99.9999 percent accuracy, identified as a direct descendant of Aiyana Williams' mother, allowing our office to positively confirm that the found individual was, in fact, Aiyana Williams."

Due to factors including the advanced state of decomposition and the absence of available witnesses, "a definitive cause or manner of death cannot be established at this time," the coroner's office said in September.

"The Yorkville Police Department extends its deepest sympathies to Aiyana's family and expresses sincere gratitude for their cooperation during the investigation," police said Tuesday.

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• Coroner Reveals Where Body Was Found During Search For Missing Yorkville Teen