(KTXL) — A woman who was found dead in 1995 went unidentified until Thursday when the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office told the public her name at a press conference.
This is what we know about the woman whose case has been dubbed “Lady in the Refrigerator.”
Woman’s body found in 1995
Sheriff Patrick Withrow identified her as Amanda Lynn Schumann Deza, who was 30 years old.
Law enforcement officials were able to identify her through DNA analysis and genealogy research, tracking down family members who ultimately confirmed her identity.
According to the sheriff’s office, she was a mother and was going through “challenging times.” Deza had lived in Napa, Oakley and the Delta area.
The district attorney’s office said the case is far from over, especially since there is not a named suspect yet.
Body found inside a refrigerator
On March 29, 1995, Deza was found dead inside a refrigerator in an irrigation ditch along Bacon Island Road in San Joaquin County.
According to news reports, two people scavenging in the area found the fridge and pulled it out of the muddy ditch. She was found inside gagged and bound with her hands behind her back.
The county coroner believed her body may have been inside the refrigerator for as much as a year, and her autopsy helped officials determine the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
At the time, she was wearing a blue sweatshirt, with Levi's shorts and a Victoria's Secret bra. The sheriff’s office said she also had blue-striped knee-high socks with toes in them and Gorilla brand boots.
Her accessories were found with her, such as a 1/3-carat diamond ring and two cosmetic jewelry rings in her pocket.
According to the sheriff's office, a Hillary brand sleeping bag was also inside the fridge.
Investigators originally released a photo of one of the rings that was found with the woman. (Photo from San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office)
Interviews with one of the investigators, John Huber, said they learned that the fridge was sold in the Bay Area.
No suspect named in the case
In the Thursday news conference, officials said they did not have a suspect named in the case, and repeated on multiple occasions that they were releasing information the newly discovered information in the hopes that someone may provide additional information.
At some points during the presentation, law enforcement refused to divulge details about Deza’s family, only saying that she was a mother and that some of her family was still in California.
Officials said that there is a $10,000 reward for information on the case that leads to an arrest, and that anyone with information can call 209-468-5087 or email coldcase@sjgov.org.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/oRmkzqa
No comments:
Post a Comment