Carlsbad

A 63-year-old man charged with murdering a woman whose body was found near a lagoon was ordered held in County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail.

Elmer Lee Nance of Barstow pleaded innocent to killing Nancy White, 22, whose car broke down Aug. 27, 1986, on Interstate 8, 2 miles east of Lake Jennings Park Road. Her nude body was found five days later near Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad.

White’s death is one of 45 being investigated by the Metropolitan Homicide Task Force, which was formed in 1988 to investigate the deaths of 44 women and one man in the past six years.

Most of the bodies have been dumped in either East or North County.

Nance is also charged with raping White and of rape with a foreign object. White died of strangulation.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Lewis said Nance is not suspected of any other homicides. Nance was arrested Friday at a bakery in Barstow.

San Diego Municipal Judge Joan Weber on Tuesday scheduled a Nov. 18 preliminary hearing.

The victim lived in Orange County and was returning from Yuma, Ariz., where she had visited her husband, who was temporarily stationed there in the military.