POINT MUGU : Woman’s Body Found on Beach
A beachcomber exploring a rocky beach south of Mugu Rock on Wednesday discovered the body of an Oxnard woman whose abandoned car was found a few miles away, authorities said.
An autopsy was to be performed this morning on Karen Locke, 46, to determine the cause of death, Deputy Coroner Dale Zentzis said. Homicide detectives with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department preliminarily ruled out foul play pending the autopsy results, a department spokesman said.
The victim’s body was found about 4 p.m. wedged in a rock formation about three miles south of Mugu Rock, Sheriff’s Lt. John Brockus said. A sheriff’s deputy had found Locke’s car abandoned the night before about two miles away, Brockus said.
Zentzis said Locke was dead at least 12 hours by the time her body was found just north of Neptune’s Net restaurant. Her mother, who had reported her missing Wednesday after being notified of the abandoned car, identified her daughter from a necklace on the body, Zentzis said.
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