Woman reportedly found dead inside her car in East Hemet, sheriff’s officials say
UPDATED: 2/15 @ 10 a.m.
Writer’s note: An earlier version of this report listed the area where the vehicle and deceased were found as Valle Vista. The incident actually occurred in the unincorporated area of East Hemet. TM
EAST HEMET – Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Hemet-Valle Vista Sheriff’s Station located a woman just before 8 p.m., after the victim was reported missing several hours earlier from the Hemet area.
In a phone interview, Deputy Mike Vasquez stated that early in their investigation, before a Silver Alert could be issued, an alert deputy located the deceased victim inside her vehicle. The deputy found the victim’s vehicle parked in the 26000 block Columbia Street in the unincorporated community of East Hemet.
According to Vasquez, the deputy was following investigative leads that led him to Columbia Street, where he located the deceased victim inside her vehicle.
Vasquez was not able to identify or release the name of the woman, pending notification of her family. The victim was reported missing at about 5:30 p.m., several hours before the deputy located the victim inside her parked vehicle, according to Vasquez.
Based on their initial investigation, deputies requested help from investigators from the Hemet Sheriff’s Station, who responded to the location to conduct a death investigation.
At 9:30 p.m., Vasquez stated the incident is currently being handled locally, by deputies and investigators from the Hemet Sheriff’s Station. “The investigation has not been turned over to Riverside County Homicide Investigators, and the coroner’s department is handling the incident as an unattended death, pending further investigation,” Vasquez said about the ongoing investigation.
“The coroner’s department has been notified,” Vasquez said, “and have responded to the location to assist in the death investigation.”
Vasquez continued, “”At this point, no evidence of a crime or foul play has been uncovered and this incident is being handled at the station level as a standard death investigation.”
Anyone with information related to this death investigation is encouraged to contact the Hemet Sheriff’s Station at (791) 3400. Callers can remain anonymous.
Contact he writer: [email protected]
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