West Virginia ? A body found in the crawl space of an apartment building was identified Monday as that of a missing Marshall University student.

The death of Leah Hickman, 21, is being investigated as a homicide. But police have refused to say how she died.

Investigators found the body on Friday in a basement laundry room in the building where Hickman lived. The journalism student had disappeared sometime after making a cell phone call Dec. 14, police said.

Her phone is missing, but her keys, purse, car and luggage she had packed for a trip to her parents’ home were found in her apartment, police said.

“If it was July it would still be a tragedy, but at this time of the year it’s very hard,” Capt. Steve Hall said.

Out of respect for Hickman, the clothing store in Barboursville where she worked, The Dress Barn, closed on Saturday and Sunday, two of the busiest shopping days of the year.