Glendale Woman, 80, Found Dead in Mexico

After authorities spent two days searching from Tujunga to Tijuana, a missing diabetic woman from Glendale was found dead in her car in Mexico, officials said Tuesday.

Nina Bagley, 80, was located by Mexican police officers near the Tijuana Dam inside her 1996 silver Buick Riviera, said Glendale Police Sgt. Ian Grimes. Details were sketchy, but there was no appearance of foul play, said Grimes.

It is unclear when the body was found, but Glendale police were notified about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday by the U.S. Consulate.

Police and family members believe Bagley became disoriented after leaving a friend’s birthday party in Tujunga on Sunday evening and never made it home. A check of her credit cards found that eight hours later, about 4 a.m. Monday, she bought gas in Oceanside. A gas station attendant remembered that a woman matching Bagley’s description said she was lost and asked directions to Glendale.

The U.S. Border Patrol confirmed that Bagley’s car crossed into Tijuana about 6:30 a.m. Monday, officials said.

Bagley was not a frequent visitor to Mexico and didn’t speak Spanish, police said.

A flier with Bagley’s photo and information was circulated in Tijuana by the U.S. Consulate, which was asked to contact Mexican law enforcement and check hospitals, jails and the morgue, said Grimes.

Police and family members were worried about Bagley, a diabetic with a thyroid condition. A lump in her esophagus had recently made it difficult for her to take her medicine, which may have led to her disorientation, said her son, Howard Bagley.

Friends became concerned when Bagley didn’t call Monday morning for a ride to a medical appointment. After confirming that she missed the appointment, they contacted police, who went to her home and found no sign of forced entry.