Countywide : Autopsy Shows Dead Woman Was Strangled

The unidentified woman whose body was found alongside Coast Highway near Crystal Cove State Park was strangled, according to preliminary autopsy findings.

Officials are asking for public assistance in identifying the victim, according to Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Richard J. Olson. The number to call is (714) 647-7000.

Olson described the woman as white; 25 to 40 years old; 5 feet, 2 inches tall; 158 pounds; hazel eyes, and shoulder-length, bleached-blond hair with dark roots. She was missing four of her top front teeth by dental extraction, but Olson said it was not known whether the woman had worn a denture to cover the gap.

The woman was wearing a white tank top, a short red skirt and white sneakers, Olson said. The body was found early Sunday morning off the shoulder of the road on the coast side of the highway.