DAPHNE, Ala.— A person of interest has been identified in connection with the death of a 21-year-old female found Friday near the Daphne Utilities sewage plant.

Troy MacDonald, an Eastern Shore resident, was the last person who talked to Brianna Parish, whose body was found around 4 p.m. Friday, according to Lt. Jud Beedy, who wouldn’t say if MacDonald was at the Bay House Pub the night Parish disappeared, but confirmed he cooperated with police.

No suspects, however, have been identified in connection with the incident that police have treated as a homicide; a suspect, unlike a person of interest, would “get closer to criminal charges,” Beedy said. 

Autopsy results are unavailable and police said the cause of death is still undetermined.

Though early murmurs suggested Parish was raped, police, who wouldn’t confirm the allegation, said her body was found unclothed from the waist down.

“We wanna work with the media but there are things that we are unable to release at this time,” police Chief David Carpenter said. 

Drugs may have played a role in the incident, according to police, who said Parish had past drug charges, but wouldn’t report MacDonald’s priors.

Bruce Parish, Brianna’s father, refuting the Daphne PD’s claim, said to a WKRG-TV 5 reporter that Brianna was arrested for having a prescription pill in her purse about two years ago, but an investigation found it was an anti-anxiety medication.

A search team found Parish, who had been reported missing since Nov. 12, in a ditch near Daphne Utilities’ sewage plant, Carpenter said.

Police on Friday identified Parish’s body by tattoos and physical characteristics, according to Carpenter, who said forensic specialists Saturday confirmed her ID by fingerprints.

Police Capt. Scott Taylor said law enforcement officials received a 4:20 p.m. call alerting them of the body.

The Daphne PD, a coroner and an FBI team, among others, were at the scene Friday evening, investigating clues and evidence.

James White, who was close to Parish, said he was stunned to hear the news.

“I got a call saying that they (found) the body and … I can’t believe it,” he said at the scene. “You hear that this stuff happens every day, but not to your friends.”

Friends had last seen Parish—a Daphne High School graduate who’d two weeks prior moved back here from  Texas—at  1 a.m. Wednesday at Bay House Pub, a bar on Bay Line Drive, police said.

Despite Parish’s alleged abduction, Carpenter insisted the Jubilee City is secure.

“The Bay House Pub is safe—Daphne’s safe…,” he said.

Still, White said, “It’s a peaceful little town, and stuff like that’s not meant to happen.”

Parish lived in Mobile with her sister, Miranda, having grown up in Daphne.

“In her short years on this Earth, Bri lived a full and happy life and was loved by all who knew her. Her candle burned very bright and was extinguished  way too soon,” family members said in a statement. “She touched many more lives than can be counted and will be terribly missed by all.” 

Brianna Parish—or “Bri,” as her friends called her—believed that people should “love life,” according to her MySpace Web page. Some ‘bumper stickers’ on the site that give insight into her life include “I (heart) my family” and an image that showed her support for breast-cancer awareness. Her interests included “hanging out with friends and family, being in the sun … music, movies, road trips, working out … swimming, hiking, dancing” and “basically just enjoying life,” according to the site.

Her boyfriend’s MySpace page—with a photo of him and Parish embracing by water—has 30 comments from friends. A few, dated around the time of Parish’s being reported missing, offer words of encouragement—“Shes prob just takin a break or sumthin sumwhere ya kno,” wrote one friend; some were optimistic—“Hopefully its just something minor I’m sure she’s fine and will be back home soon,” wrote another.

Ultimately, the comments became condolences.

His status message simply says, “I have never felt so sad in my life.”

Parish’s  page—with a photo of her and perhaps a friend sipping cocktails—included 25 friends’ comments dated after the announcement of her death. Most comments, directly addressing Parish, said ‘rest in peace’; many anticipated her afterlife; and one expressed frustration over her final hours.

“I can’t believe it … I don’t want to,” wrote username “Jac(qui).” “I am so upset that you had to go through something like that sweetie.

“I don’t understand how this could happen to someone so wonderful.”

Dr. Sonya Rogers, a counselor, said the comments may help survivors deal with the grieving process or find some sense of closure.

“It’s not a form of denial but it’s a way for them to slowly let go of that person, rather than it being so sudden,” she said. “ It kind of keeps the person’s memory, their being, alive a little longer until they can get through the grieving process.”

Speaking to a loved one who has died, through cyberspace, may offer one mode of goodbye, Rogers said.

“It seems unrealistic but it’s a way for people to deal with that person because they didn’t get to say goodbye, or a way of just letting the feelings be expressed.”

While family and friends find their own way to grieve, police seem committed to finding Parish’s killer.

“It’s a terrible case; no one wants to be involved in something like this,” Beedy said.

“But it’s our job and we’re gonna work on it until it gets solved.”