Cause of Woman’s Death Still Sought

Family members buried Susan Schlanger on Friday morning, even as Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives were trying to figure out how the 31-year-old woman died.

Schlanger’s body was found by hikers Sept. 8 close to Leo Carrillo State Beach near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line.

Authorities are not sure how the woman, whose last address was in Thousand Oaks, died or how long her body had been in the mountains north of Malibu, said Los Angeles County coroner’s spokesman Scott Carrier.

Schlanger’s fully clothed body was badly decomposed, Carrier said. An autopsy was performed Sept. 12, but the results were inconclusive. Results of toxicological and tissue tests will not be known for about six weeks, he said.

The body was not identified until Sept. 17, after the coroner’s office obtained dental records from Schlanger’s mother, Carrier said.

Authorities hope to find out when Schlanger was last seen alive, Carrier said. “This woman was known to travel frequently without telling anyone where she was going, and had been known to be gone for substantial periods,” he said.

The Sheriff’s Department has not ruled out homicide. Detectives also say Schlanger, an avid hiker, may have slipped while hiking.

A graduate of Simi Valley High School and Cal State Northridge, Schlanger loved nature and enjoyed taking walks along the beach, according to information provided by family members, who live in Simi Valley. Schlanger also enjoyed cats. Friday morning, Schlanger’s mother, Barbara Espinosa, and her father, Herb Schlanger, were among those who attended her burial at Simi Valley Cemetery.