The ex-boyfriend of a JSU student missing since Nov. 13 has been charged with killing her, officials say.

Stanley Cole, 24, is suspected in the slaying of Latasha Norman.

A body found this afternoon off Brown Street in north Jackson is that of Norman, Jackson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jeffery Scott confirmed late today.

The remains were found around 2 p.m. in a wooded area on Brown Street near County Line Road.

Cole, a criminal justice major at JSU, was in a Pearl court early Thursday for a hearing into charges he struck Norman Oct. 9 at a restaurant in Pearl. He was later taken into custody for further questioning in Norman’s disappearance.

Cole, whom Scott had termed “a person of Interest” a few hours earlier, was formally charged with murder after Norman’s body was found.

Cole apparently led police to the body.

The university, which spearheaded vigils and other events to keep Norman’s disappearance in the news, has cancelled classes Friday in her honor.

“I want to extend my deepest and most profound sympathy to the Norman/Bolden family, Latasha’s friends and others who loved her,” JSU President Ronald Mason Jr. said. “There are simply no words that can take away the anguish felt in the face of such a heinous and senseless act.”

The Jackson State Department of Public Safety has been investigating Norman’s disappearance along with the FBI, Hinds County Sheriff’s Department and the Jackson Police Department.

“We all worked around the clock, hoping that we could bring Latasha back safely,” said Chief Rebecca Coleman, director of the Jackson State Department of Public Safety. “Now, our efforts must shift to seeking justice. We mourn with Latasha’s family and friends.”

A memorial service in memory of the junior accounting major is set for noon Monday in the Rose Embly McCoy Auditorium on the main campus.

Coroner Sharon Grisham Stewart said more testing would be needed for a positive identification of the body. It was badly decomposed, police said.

An autopsy is planned for tonight. (source)