After an intensive five-day search that included a social media blitz, authorities Wednesday morning found the body of 33-year-old Jessica Padgett and said her stepfather shot and killed her in his Allen Township home, a crime driven by a "sexual assault motive." 
 
 Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli announced late in the afternoon what Padgett's family and friends had most feared: that, missing since Friday, Padgett is dead. 
 
 Her stepfather, Gregory R. Graf, faces homicide charges, accused of shooting her Friday afternoon and burying her body on his and her mother's property on Covered Bridge Road, Morganelli said, adding that Graf admitted the killing to investigators. 
 
 "Unfortunately, we have sad news to announce today," Morganelli told reporters. "Jessica Padgett is deceased. She is the victim of a homicide." 
 
 The killing is thought to have a "sexual aspect" that authorities have not fully hashed out, Morganelli said. 
 
 "It appears to me that the motive here was a sexual-assault motive," he said. "There's definitely a sex angle to this crime. That is still being developed in terms of the particular nature of it." 
 
 PHOTO GALLERY: Jessica Padgett murder case 
 
 Asked if Padgett was killed resisting Graf, Morganelli said that remains unanswered, though the defendant allegedly told investigators that wasn't the case. 
 
 "All we can say today is that there is a sexual aspect to this. Whether or not she was killed prior, during or after, we're not prepared to go that far yet until we further develop information," Morganelli said. 
 
 In a 2011 post to her Facebook page, Padgett, who lived in Whitehall Township, paid tribute to her stepfather, saying she has "two dads and I love both of mine VERY much." 
 
 State police Lt. Joseph Sokolofski said police found no indication that her relationship with Graf was "anything other than congenial." 
 
 Gregory R. Graf is seen in this photo from his Facebook page. Graf is charged with murdering his stepdaughter, Jessica Padgett. Gregory R. Graf is seen in this photo from his Facebook page. Graf is charged with murdering his stepdaughter, Jessica Padgett. 
 
 If authorities can prove the 53-year-old Graf sexually assaulted his stepdaughter, Morganelli said, he could face the death penalty. The result of an autopsy will be critical in making that determination, Morganelli said. 
 
 The stunning developments follow a sweeping investigation by state and local police in a disappearance that Morganelli labeled a "top priority." Friends and family joined in the search, starting a Facebook page, "Help find Jessica Padgett," that by Wednesday had grown to almost 7,000 members. 
 
 Padgett's body was recovered Wednesday morning, hidden behind a shed at 451 Covered Bridge Road, the property owned by Graf and Padgett's mother, Danelle. 
 
 Padgett had a wound to the back of her head that is consistent with a bullet and fits with Graf's account to police of what happened, Morganelli said. 
 
 According to a police affidavit, Graf was interviewed by state police about 9 a.m. Wednesday at the barracks in Bethlehem and admitted killing his stepdaughter. The affidavit places the shooting about 1 p.m. Friday, roughly 10 minutes after Padgett was last seen. 
 
 In a statement Sokolofski read to the media, Padgett's family said they were devastated by her loss, calling her a "beautiful and vibrant young woman who was beloved." They thanked police, the media and volunteers who had searched tirelessly for Padgett since she went missing. 
 
 "The world shines less bright today," said the statement, which asked that the family's privacy be respected while they grieve. 
 
 Padgett was last seen at 12:50 p.m. Friday leaving Duck Duck Goose Child Care on Canal Street in Northampton. She was supposed to return to her job there a short time later. 
 
 Padgett also worked at Distinctive Fence, a fencing company owned by Graf and located at his and her mother's property. She was headed there to send a fax when she disappeared, her sister, Kristi Davis, has said. 
 
 On Tuesday afternoon, state police were at the address, with a line of yellow police tape blocking the driveway as several cruisers and other police vehicles were parked outside. A state police forensic services van was backed up to Distinctive Fence's garage, with a trooper going in and out of the building several times. 
 
 On Wednesday, state police vehicles were still at the sprawling property. Snow covered most of the grounds, except for a path of footsteps that led behind the garage. 
 
 Padgett is believed to have been shot in the house, Sokolofski said, adding that her mother was in Florida at the time. Graf helped investigators find the body, Sokolofski said. 
 
 Graf was an avid hunter and had "numerous" firearms at his house, Sokolofski said. 
 
 "He had access to a number of firearms at any time," Sokolofski said. 
 
 After Padgett went missing, state police canvassed businesses along the 1- to 2-mile stretch where she was last seen and where her car was found in a Dollar General store parking lot. Morganelli said surveillance video showed someone who was obviously not Padgett dropping the car off there minutes after 1 p.m. Friday. 
 
 Police learned Graf had left his truck nearby earlier that morning, telling an employee it needed to be serviced at an area garage, Morganelli said. Additional video surveillance showed the truck driving away within 30 seconds to a minute after Padgett's car was abandoned, Morganelli said. 
 
 Workers at Harhart's Service Station told investigators that Graf never contacted them about doing work on his vehicle, Morganelli said. Authorities are investigating whether that could be evidence of a plan on Graf's part. 
 
 "We're still trying to develop that information as to whether this might be some evidence of premeditation, or whether he had good intentions to drop his truck off," Morganelli said. 
 
 Padgett's last contact with others was by cellphone to her husband about 1 p.m. Friday, according to the Facebook page that was started to aid in her search. According to Padgett's own Facebook page, she was married in September and has three children. 
 
 At Padgett's home on Third Street in Whitehall, a baby's high chair sat empty on the porch Wednesday night. A large crowd of family and friends gathered inside. A man who did not identify himself came out and said no one in the family wanted to talk. 
 
 No one answered the door at Duck Duck Goose. 
 
 Graf is being held without bail in Northampton County Prison after an arraignment before District Judge Diane Marakovits. 
 
 According to court records, Graf has a criminal record, albeit a minor one. He has convictions in the 1980s for theft. In 1995, he served a three-to-23-month sentence in Lehigh County Jail for possession with intent to deliver drugs and conspiracy. 
 
 In announcing the homicide charges, Morganelli praised police for their efforts after Padgett went missing. Sokolofski said some of his investigators hadn't gone home in two or three days as they worked their leads. ||||| Authorities are treating the disappearance of a Lehigh County woman Friday as a "criminal investigation," Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said Monday afternoon. 
 
 Jessica Padgett, 33, of Whitehall Township, was last seen about 12:50 p.m. Friday leaving her job at Duck Duck Goose Child Care, 1218 Canal St. in Northampton. Authorities later found the white Subaru Outback in which she left the child care in a parking lot outside the Dollar General in Northampton. 
 
 Morganelli said he met about an hour with investigators from the Pennsylvania State Police Bethlehem barracks. 
 
 "I believe the state police are moving in the right direction," he said. "We're treating this as a criminal investigation. 
 
 "We're still optimistic that Ms. Padgett will resurface, hopefully without any harm or injury." 
 
 Morganelli stressed that all of her family members have been cooperative with police. Investigators are also using video from various businesses to try to track her last-known movements. 
 
 "The police have made progress to try and find out where she was last located, but we still have work to do on it," the district attorney said. 
 
 State police did not immediately respond to requests for information Monday. 
 
 Friends of Padgett and other concerned community members, meanwhile, have taken to the Northampton area themselves to search for Padgett and spread the word about her disappearance. 
 
 Jim Wilkins, whose wife grew up with Padgett and has lived across the street from her for the past five years, said groups searching hope she is in the vicinity. 
 
 While standing at the Dollar General parking lot Monday evening, he said she would never have parked in a back space, where her car was found. Police, however, did not say where in the lot the car was found. 
 
 "She was notorious for finding close parking spaces," Wilkins said. 
 
 Wilkins said the groups, which have been searching for the past three days, are not only looking for Padgett, but clues to help aid police in the investigation. 
 
 "We're just hoping for that big break," he said. "Someone out here had to have seen something." 
 
 One thing that continues to confuse those searching for Padgett is she had left her young son at the childcare facility while she left to fax paperwork. Wilkins said she would never have not returned for him. 
 
 "That's the kicker in all this," Wilkins said. "It's so out of the blue. There's no indications." 
 
 Matt Cline of Coopersburg never met Padgett, but joined the search at 8 a.m. Monday and didn't stop until dark. His cousin is friends with Padgett, he said. 
 
 "I just wanted to help the friends and family," he said. 
 
 The groups are planning to continue searching tomorrow. Some of the searches have included tracking dogs, Wilkins said. 
 
 Padgett is described as white, 5 feet 2 inches tall and 130 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes and was last ween wearing gray sweatpants and a black sweatshirt that says "Duck Duck Goose" on the front and "staff" on the back. ||||| A missing mom from the Lehigh Valley is now a murder victim. Prosecutors arrested her stepfather for the crime. They say sex was part of the motive. NBC10's Nefertiti Jaquez talked to prosecutors and friends of the victim. (Published Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014) 
 
 The search for Jessica Padgett, a missing mother and newlywed from Northampton County, came to a stunning end the day before Thanksgiving when investigators announced she'd been murdered by her stepfather. 
 
 District Attorney John Morganelli said Gregory Graf admitted he shot Padgett in his home and disposed of her body, burying her in the yard behind a shed. The motive appears to be sexual assault, Morganelli said. 
 
 Padgett, a mother of three, was last seen Friday when she left her job at the Duck Duck Goose day care center in Northampton. She told co-workers she had to run an errand but never returned. 
 
 The 33-year-old woman's car was found less than a mile away in the parking lot of a Dollar General store. Her cellphone and keys were inside. 
 
 Missing Mom Found Dead: Stepfather Charged 
 
 After finding the body of missing woman Jessica Padgett, police obtained a confession from her stepfather, Gregory Graf, according to investigators. NBC10's Mitch Blacher has more. (Published Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014) 
 
 "I just want my sister found," said Jeremy Graf, sobbing just hours before being told her body had been found on their parents' property at Covered Bridge Road in Allen Township. 
 
 Padgett had a second job working for Graf's company, Distinctive Fence, located on the same property where he and Padgett’s mother live. Investigators believe Padgett went there Friday to use the fax machine. 
 
 "During an interview with the investigators he [Graf] did admit that he intentionally and knowingly caused the death of the victim at his home," Morganelli said, adding the crime may have been premeditated. Surveillance video shows a man prosecutors believe is Graf, dropping his truck off in the Dollar General parking lot Friday morning. Later in the day, Morganelli said Graf returned to the parking lot in Padgett's SUV, parked it and drove off again in his truck. 
 
 Family and friends launched an intense search effort for Padgett, and started a Help Find Jessica Padgett on Facebook. The victim's sister, Kristi Davis, posted this message: 
 
 "We are devastated by the loss of Jessica. she was a beautiful, vibrant young woman who was beloved by her family and friends. The world shines less bright today." 
 
 Greg Graf was one of the 7-thousand people following that Facebook page. Family friends said Graf helped search for Padgett several times after she disappeared. 
 
 "The fact that this person was right under our noses and was that close to Jess," said Jim Wilkins, a family friend. "That he could just betray the family...This was a man who was around Jess since she was a child. We're obviously heartbroken." 
 
 Graf, 53, was taken into police custody Wednesday night. He faces murder charges.
– Mother of three Jessica Padgett left her young son at the child care center where she worked in Northampton, Penn., just before 1pm on Nov. 21 to fax paperwork at her stepfather's company, Distinctive Fence—she held a second job there. She was never seen alive again. Officials say the body of the 33-year-old woman, who was shot in the back of the head, was found buried behind a shed yesterday morning on property owned by her stepfather, Gregory R. Graf. He was yesterday charged with her murder. Graf reportedly confessed to shooting Padgett in his home (his home and business are located on the same land) and disposing of her body, says Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli. Morganelli adds the apparent motive was sexual assault, the Allentown Morning Call reports. Initially, the only clue in Padgett's disappearance was her white Subaru Outback, found with her cellphone inside in a Dollar General parking lot, the Express-Times reported. Investigators say Graf left his truck near the parking lot the morning Padgett vanished, telling an employee he had to have work done on it. Later, he allegedly dropped off Padgett's car; surveillance video shows the truck being driven away about a minute later. "We're still trying to develop that information as to whether this might be some evidence of premeditation, or whether he had good intentions to drop his truck off," says Morganelli. Family friends tell NBC Philadelphia that Graf participated in the search for Padgett, a newlywed who married in September. Padgett's mother was in Florida at the time of her daughter's disappearance. (Ten years after vanishing with her child, this mom surfaced.)