RANCHO PALOS VERDES : Body in Car Identified as Missing Girl, 17

A badly decomposed body discovered in a car at the bottom of a mud-filled ravine earlier this week has been positively identified as that of Lynn Snyder, a Rancho Palos Verdes teen-ager reported missing since mid-December, the county coroner’s office said Wednesday.

The car had been identified as Snyder’s 1985 Mazda shortly after two children happened upon it Sunday.

Investigators could not say whether Snyder, 17, intentionally drove off Palos Verdes Drive East, the steep, winding road above the 150-foot ravine, or miscalculated a turn.

“It’s clear that, in fact, she felt she needed to leave (her) house, and did that,” said Jim Pennington, a private investigator hired by her parents to find Snyder. “Is it clear that she intended to kill herself? I don’t think so.”

An examination is scheduled for today to determine the cause of death, said coroner’s spokesman Scott Carrier.

After her parents fell asleep the night of Dec. 11, Snyder left the house, Pennington said. He said the girl had been suffering from anorexia. When she disappeared, the 5-foot, 7-inch Snyder weighed only 102 pounds.

Pennington also said a note written by Snyder and dated Dec. 9 indicated that she was unhappy.

He said that same day, Snyder--who had a 3.8 grade-point average at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School--had interviewed with a representative of Tufts University at a local coffeehouse. Pennington said the representative had given Snyder a positive recommendation.