South Bay : Coroner Issues Report on Woman’s Slaying

Madolyn Smink was killed by strangulation and head and neck trauma, a spokesman for the county coroner’s office said Thursday.

The Redondo Beach woman, whose body was found in the trunk of her car Dec. 19, suffered blunt trauma to the top of her head and sustained bruises that suggest she fought with her assailant. Toxicological tests showed the 51-year-old’s blood-alcohol level was 0.08%, the level under California law at which a driver is considered drunk.

There have been no arrests in the case, but Sheriff’s Sgt. Doral Riggs said the autopsy has provided some insight into Smink’s death. He said results have shown that Smink probably died soon after eating because the food in her stomach was almost completely undigested.

The Sheriff’s Department is awaiting results of DNA tests on evidence collected from Smink’s car and fingernails, in addition to items seized from her husband Jeff Smink’s home and office.

Smink disappeared after reportedly going on a shopping trip to the Galleria at South Bay. Her body was found in the trunk of her car four days later. While investigators have received several leads, they have not made any arrests.