FITCHBURG, Wis. -- Dane County Coroner John Stanley positively identified the body found in a rural Wisconsin area Monday as that of missing college student Kelly Nolan Tuesday night.

Investigators on Tuesday took the body from the heavily wooded area where it was discovered to a morgue for an autopsy. A team of experts worked all day Tuesday to gather evidence at the scene 10 miles south of Madison on Schneider Drive.

Police said that Nolan's death is a homicide but that the exact cause of death will not be made until all testing is complete, WISC-TV reported.

Stanley has said the body was in the wooded area for an extended period of time.

Nolan, a 22-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student, vanished early June 23 after a night of drinking at bars in downtown Madison.

Police said cell-phone technology led them to mount a massive search Monday, when they found the body.

Police are not saying if they have a suspect or suspects in the homicide investigation, but they said that the discovery of a body has generated new tips on the Crime Stoppers hot line.

"When we first reported and let people know about Kelly Nolan and a lot of leads came in, that trickled down a little bit, up until yesterday. And now a lot more information is coming in," said Joel DeSpain, a public information specialist at the Madison Police Department.

DeSpain said that possible evidence collected at the scene has been sent to the state Crime Lab. DeSpain wouldn't give details about what was found but said police are asking the Crime Lab to prioritize the evidence processing for this case.

Authorities said that before Kelly Nolan disappeared, she might have been walking with a man in downtown Madison around bar time as she was heading for home.

The owner of Amy's Café said that one of his workers told him that he was at the Lava Lounge on Gilman and then started walking Nolan to her West Mifflin Street apartment.

The employee reportedly said that they had passed only a few homes before another man suddenly appeared and said he knew Nolan and would take her home.

The worker has reported the incident to police, WISC-TV reported.

Kelly Nolan's family has announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

Authorities said that anyone with information is urged to call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 608-266-6014.

Experts Assist In Homicide Investigation

Because the body found Monday was partially decomposed, police said they assembled a forensics team including an entomologist with expertise in pinpointing the time of death and length of time a body has been exposed to the elements.

Since bug lifecycles are very precise, experts said they can reveal valuable information about when a crime was committed.

"Insects, being cold-blooded, develop on a very definable timeline. If you look at what the air temperatures are and look at the development of the insect, you can walk this back, and really the science is best for the first two weeks," said Phil Pelliterri, entomology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Pelliterri said that the science is less reliable if the body has been decomposing for more than two weeks. He said there are only a handful of certified forensic entomologists.

DeSpain said the coroner called the world-renowned entomologist at his home in Indiana to consult him on the case. He said the entomologist jumped at the chance to come to Wisconsin to help in the investigation and also waived most of his fees.