Collage of two images showing Melissa's before and after haircut.

A MISSING college student’s disappearance has ended in heartbreak after she was found dead in a different state from where she disappeared.

The grim discovery came after police had warned there were serious concerns for her well-being and after the car she had been driving was found abandoned.

Melissa Oelke smiling at the camera.
21-year-old Melissa Oelke of St Peters, Missouri, was found deceased after vanishing days earlierCredit: St. Peters Police Department
 

Melissa Oelke captured by surveillance camera, walking while wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans.
Melissa had last been seen wearing an olive-green hooded sweatshirt, denim jeans, and black athletic shoesCredit: St. Peters Police Department
In Madison County, Illinois, 21-year-old Melissa Oelke of St Peters, Missouri, was found deceased after vanishing days earlier.

Police said Oelke left her home on Thursday, March 26, at about 7.30 am.

She was reported missing soon after, prompting St. Peters police to issue a public bulletin.

Officers said the car she had been driving was later discovered abandoned in St. Jacob, Illinois, PEOPLE reported.

That location is in the same county where her body was later found.

At the time she vanished, police said she had last been seen wearing an olive-green hooded sweatshirt, denim jeans, and black athletic shoes with white soles.

In their missing persons bulletin, officers said: Melissa has several medical conditions that require attention, and there is concern for her well-being.

On Saturday, police announced that Oelke had been found dead.

The department said the case is still being investigated.

But police also said they do not believe there is a threat to the public.

Oelke was a student at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, according to her father, Gerald Oelke.

He said she had recently finished midterms and appeared stressed.

He also believed she had decided to extend her spring break and was trying to return to school.

“We ask that you keep her family in your thoughts during this difficult time. Thank you to everyone who shared this post and offered your prayers,” police said in a Facebook post.

As tributes poured in, a fundraiser organized by a colleague of Oelke’s mother brought in more than $25,000 by Tuesday.

Melissa Oelke, a 21-year-old college student, smiles faintly at the camera.
Officers said the car Melissa had been driving was later discovered abandoned in St. Jacob, IllinoisCredit: Family Handout