Body ID’d as Missing Fitness Instructor

The body of a woman found in a wooded area Wednesday morning has been identified as missing fitness instructor Susan Loper, Plano police say.

A Plano police officer found her body near a treeline off John Hickman Parkway and Dallas Parkway in Frisco.

Her SUV was found abandoned in Plano about a mile and a half from the country club where Loper disappeared. Police located the vehicle near Parker Road and the Dallas North Tollway in Plano at about midnight.

Loper's best friend said investigators went by Loper's home to obtain DNA samples to compare with the body, which the medical examiner later identified as Loper.

Police said they interviewing lots of people in the case but do not yet have any suspects or warrants.

Loper's 8-year-old son is with his father and grandparents.

Marla Malone, a friend of Loper, said her death is "gutwrenching.'

"I mean, we're angry. We're sad. We don't know how to function without her. We really don't; she was our light," said Julie Mitchell, another friend.

Investigators said evidence in the vehicle indicated that Loper, 40, had been abducted and that a struggle had taken place both in the car and in the club -- but they didn't specify what evidence they found.

Loper arrived at the Glen Eagles Country Club in Plano early Tuesday and disappeared before her first appointment at 5:45 a.m.

Police found her purse, cellphone and coffee cup inside the club, but she and her 2010 Toyota RAV4 were missing. Investigators said signs of a struggle indicated early on that Loper may have been a victim of foul play.