OJAI : Police Identify Body Found on Roadside
The body found on the side of California 33 north of Ojai was identified as that of a 26-year-old North Hollywood woman who was strangled with some type of cord, authorities said Tuesday.
The woman, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, died of asphyxiation, coroner’s Investigator Jim Wingate said. The autopsy revealed no signs of sexual assault, Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Harwell said.
It is impossible to tell where the woman was killed, Harwell said. There was no sign of struggle in the area where the body was found, he said.
It appears that her body was dumped off the side of the road after dark Sunday night, Harwell said. The woman’s killer probably intended the body to roll farther down the embankment, he said.
The woman had been dead 16 to 17 hours before her body was spotted by a Sheriff’s Department employee transporting inmates to the Rose Valley Work Camp about 10:40 a.m. Monday, authorities said.
The woman was identified through fingerprints registered with the U. S. Department of Justice, Harwell said.
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