Will Take Weeks To Establish Cause Of Death For Woman Found In Winchester

The cause of death for a unidentified woman found in a field Thursday in Winchester may take weeks to determine, pending toxicology tests, a sheriff's information officer said today.

The woman today remained unidentified, according to the information officer.

"The coroner's office hasn't been able to identify her yet," sheriff's Deputy Joshua Morales said.

The woman, whose clothed body was found by a passing motorist on Winchester Road, near Scott Road,  about 1:50 p.m., Thursday, was white with short reddish hair, in her 30s or 40s, stood 5-feet, 3-inches tall, and weighed 200 pounds, said Cpl. Courtney Donowho of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

According to an unnamed witness, the woman was walking in the area prior to being found dead, Donowho said.

Detectives believe the woman resided in the area, according to a Riverside County Sheriff's Department news release.

The dead woman was found in weeds in an open field near the northeast corner of Winchester and Scott roads.

"It is has not yet been determined if it was a natural death, an O.D., a homicide or a traffic collision,” Donowho said, noting that a coroner’s report is pending and the woman’s identification has not been determined.

According to the sheriff's news release, the death is "suspicious."

The investigation caused the closure of Highway 79 (Winchester) north between Scott Road and Domenigoni Parkway. Washington was also closed from Winchester to Benton, according to a CHP dispatcher. Traffic was routed west through Menifee on Scott Road, to Interstate 215.

Highway 79/Winchester Road was reopened to through traffic at about 9 p.m., according to Sigalert.com.

Anyone with information about the investigation is encouraged to contact the Riverside County Sheriff's Department/Central Homicide Unit at 760-393-3600. --Toni McAllister and Maggie Avants contributed to this report.

4/21 ORIGINAL POST:

The deceased body of a female found near the corner of Winchester and Scott roads in the unincorporated area of Winchester is being investigated by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

At 1:52 p.m. Thursday, a motorist reported seeing what appeared to be a deceased body, said Cpl. Courtney Donowho of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"Deputies went out and found a deceased female," Donowho said. "It is has not yet been determined if it was a natural death, an O.D., a homicide or a traffic collision."

The body was found in weeds in an open field near the northeast corner of Winchester and Scott roads, Donowho said.

The investigation caused the closure of Highway 79 (Winchester) north between Scott Road and Domenigoni Parkway. Washington was also closed from Winchester to Benton, according to a CHP dispatcher. Traffic was being routed west through Menifee on Scott Road, to Interstate 215.

As of 4:28 p.m., the investigaton was expected to keep the road closed for a few more hours, the dispatcher said.

UPDATE 6 p.m.:

About 16 law enforcement were at the scene, investigating the death. Some were taking photographs of the body. The woman was found clothed, according to sheriff's Lt. Robert Moquin.

"We are not sure if it was a car accident, we're not sure if it was a pedestrian fatality; it could have been a natural-causes death," Moquin said, just after 6 p.m. "We are in the very early stages of investigation."

UPDATE 9:35 p.m.:

Highway 79/Winchester Road was reopened to through traffic at about 9 p.m., according to Sigalert.com. The sig alert was still in effect at 9:28 p.m., however, as traffic was still moving slowly.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department has not released any further information about the investigation or the deceased's identity.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m. 4/22/11:

The identity of a body found yesterday in an open field in Winchester northeast of Murrieta has yet to be made public.

A sheriff's spokesperson said only that the body belongs to an adult female.

The sheriff's department is awaiting coroner's office autopsy and investigation results to be able to provide further information, said Cpl. Courtney Donowho on Friday.

Peter Surowski contributed to this report.