More Tests Needed to Learn Why Woman Died
The cause of death of a Lake Forest woman whose body was found last week in O’Neill Regional Park won’t be known until toxicology tests are completed in a few weeks, officials said Monday.
Search teams discovered Susan Hobbs’ body Friday off the Vista Trail at the Rancho Santa Margarita park, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino said. She had been reported missing April 5.
An autopsy performed by the Orange County coroner’s office did not immediately determine a cause of death, Amormino said. The office is awaiting results from toxicological and microscopic testing of skin tissue, he said, and it would take a few weeks for the results to be returned.
Hobbs’ husband reported her missing after she didn’t return home from a walk at the park, officials said. Rangers found her car Thursday. On Friday, helicopter search crews found Hobbs, 51, face-down and clothed under a bush in the park, officials said.
Officials have questioned Hobbs’ husband, Amormino said, but he is not being held as a suspect. The coroner’s office hasn’t ruled out suicide, he said.
Hobbs had been depressed, Amormino said, and was taking medication for her condition.
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