Body of Unidentified Female Found Near Covington

COVINGTON, La. (AP) — St. Tammany Parish authorities are working to identify a woman's body found along Interstate 12.

The body was discovered Sunday afternoon near Covington.

WWL TV reports (http://bit.ly/Jb5uxp ) the identity of the body is unknown, but officials with the St. Tammany coroner's office said the body is that of a female.

While no positive identification has been made, deputies have been searching for 31-year-old Nicole Jefferson, a Transportation Security Administration agent at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Jefferson was scheduled to report to work last Monday at 3:30 a.m.

Authorities say her mother says Jefferson sent her a text message around 11 p.m. the night of April 29, leading deputies to believe she disappeared between 11 p.m. Sunday and 3:30 a.m. Monday.