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Rowan Co. Sheriff's Office begins review of Erica Parsons' autopsy

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Justice for a Rowan County teenager who was last seen alive more than six years ago, could be getting closer.

Erica Parsons was last seen in November 2011, when she was 13, but was not reported missing until July 2013 by her adopted brother.

[PHOTOS: Erica Parsons]

[SPECIAL SECTION: Erica Parsons]

Her adoptive parents, Casey and Sandy Parsons, told investigators that Erica had gone to Asheville to visit her grandmother, Nan, but authorities later said that Nan did not exist.

Erica's body wasn’t found until 2016, when her adoptive father, Sandy, led investigators to a wooded area in Chesterfield County.

Erica Parsons

An autopsy report that was released earlier in January revealed gruesome details about Erica’s life before her death.

[READ: Erica Parsons' Autopsy Report]

[Medical examiner says Erica Parsons died from 'homicidal violence']

Several family members reported that Casey and Sandy Parsons tortured Erica, according to the autopsy report. The documents said the young girl was choked, thrown, forced to sleep in a closet and eat dog food, and was beaten with a belt buckle

(Casey and Sandy Parsons)

The medical examiner said it’s possible Erica died from blunt-force trauma, suffocation or strangulation and classified her cause of death as “homicidal violence of undetermined means.”

Sandy and Casey Parsons are serving federal prison time for accepting federal benefits for Erica after she disappeared, but no one has been charged in Erica’s death.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 9 they are now beginning to review evidence and the autopsy results.

The Sheriff's Office was waiting for the high-profile trial for Marlene Johnson to be over before meeting with the Rowan County district attorney, who will decide if any charges will be filed.

Any charges would have to be taken before the grand jury to issue indictments.

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