Body of Missing St. Louis Ballet Dancer Found in Rural Lake

The body of a St. Louis ballet dancer has been found in a rural northeast Missouri lake, a day after she was reported missing.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the body of 23-year-old Raffaella Maria Stroik was discovered Wednesday by a private plane pilot flying over Mark Twain Lake. About 150 people were searching when the body was found.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol was assisted by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office, Monroe City Fire Department, Monroe City Ambulance District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Moberly Area Community College Law Enforcement Training Center. Friends and family of Stroik also helped with the search.

Authorities say foul play is not suspected.

An investigation began Tuesday after Stroik’s car was found parked for a second straight day near a boat ramp. She had been last seen Monday morning at a Whole Foods store in suburban St. Louis. Her body was located around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday in Mark Twain Lake. Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Water Patrol Division responded and recovered Stroik’s body.

Stroik’s profile on the ballet’s website says she is from South Bend, Indiana.

Mark Twain Lake State Park is about 100 miles northwest of St. Louis.