Local News in Brief : Body of Woman Found in Freezing Creek

The body of a 38-year-old woman was pulled from an icy mountain creek north of Santa Clarita on Sunday, four days after she left a nearby home where she had been visiting a friend, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The identity and residence of the woman, who had been visiting from another state while on vacation, was not released pending notification of relatives.

Deputy Roger Hom said investigators would await the results of an autopsy before deciding whether to begin a homicide investigation. He said there were no apparent injuries to the body and no signs of foul play.

The body was found about 12:40 p.m. by a passer-by along the creek in the 34800 block of Bouquet Canyon Road, near where the woman had parked her car Wednesday while visiting a friend who lived nearby, Hom said. The woman’s body was partially submerged in the creek, which had iced over in some spots, he said.

The woman had not been reported missing because she was vacationing on her own, authorities said. The friend she visited had thought she had continued her travels after saying goodby Wednesday at 8 p.m. and heading back to her car, Hom said. The dead woman’s car was found where she had left it during the visit.