Authorities in Irving, Texas found a body matching the description of Lashun Massey, a 38-year-old Mrs. Dallas beauty pageant winner who went missing earlier this week. The body, which has been sent to the Dallas County Medical Examiner to be identified, was recovered in a lake Thursday near the site where Massey went missing, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. 

“I can say that the person recovered (had) clothing (that) does match that of our missing person’s identification that she was last seen wearing,” Irving Police Department Public Information Officer Robert Reeves said at a press conference.

Massey, who was set to compete for the title of Mrs. Texas America, was walking near Lake Lago de Claire in the Las Colinas area of Irving on Tuesday morning when she went missing. She was wearing a black hoodie and checkered pajama pants at the time.

After her husband reported her missing that morning, witnesses said they saw the woman walking on the edge of the lake, CBSDFW reported. 

“They had asked her if she was OK and she said she was, so they carried about their business,” firefighter Robert Keeker told the news station. “After that, they said they saw her exit the water and then we later received a tip someone else had seen her walking in the water again a couple hours later.”

The mother of two young boys earned her Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. She also wrote an autobiography titled, The Face of the New Engineer. According to the book's summary, Massey wrote about the odds she overcame to pursue a career in engineering, as well as the challenges she faced while growing up "in a socio-economically depressed area in Arkansas." 

“Lashun is the smartest woman I have ever met for our age,” said Kelly Andrews, who has been friends with the beauty contestant since kindergarten. “She was top of our class. I’m just mesmerized by her accomplishments and how much she has achieved in life.”

Massey was scheduled to take part in the pageant which started on Thursday, competing for the title of Mrs. Texas America where she would represent the city of Dallas.