Woman's body found in river

In the second incident of a body being found in the Russian River near Ukiah this month, a deceased woman was pulled from the water on Sunday, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office reported.

According to the MCSO, deputies responded to the 5800 block of Old River Road the afternoon of March 24 when someone kayaking on the river called the Ukiah Police Department around 4:30 p.m. to report that “they had possibly observed a human body in the river.”

Given that the discovery was within the jurisdiction of the MCSO, the UPD contacted the Sheriff's Office and deputies “along with numerous fire agencies responded to the area of Morrison Creek and Old River Road, and began searching the area for the possible body.”

After utilizing “an unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV) to search the river area,” fire personnel reported locating a deceased person in the river around 5:35 p.m. Then responders at the scene who were “trained in swift water rescue entered the fast-moving water and were able to safely remove the decedent from the waterway.”

MCSO personnel from the Coroner's Office then began an investigation, although the person, described only as a “female adult,” was reportedly “in a state of advanced decomposition, which made it impossible to identify the subject. It appeared the decedent had been in the water for some time, and no obvious signs of external trauma were observed.”

The MCSO is still investigating this case and requests that anyone with information related to their investigation contact them at 707463-4086. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the Sheriff's Office non-emergency tip line at 707-234-2100.

When asked Tuesday if there had been any progress identifying the woman, MCSO Capt. Quincy Cromer said that his office did have a few leads to investigate, but that the discovery was “very unexpected,” and the woman does not yet appear to match any current missing persons.

As to the possible cause and manner of death, Cromer said an autopsy had been scheduled for Wednesday, during which x-rays will be performed to check for injuries, as well as other procedures to help investigators identify her, and possibly how she died.

He estimated that “final autopsy results” will likely not be available for 10 to 12 weeks.

The woman was the second deceased person to have been pulled out of the Russian River near Ukiah this month, as a man's body was pulled from the river near the end of Norgard Lane the morning of March 1.

That discovery was also initially reported to the UPD, then investigated by the MCSO, who identified the man as Joshua Scott Freeman, “a life-long Mendocino County resident,” whose body reportedly had “no obvious signs of foul play.”

When asked Tuesday if the MCSO had been able to determine the cause and manner of Freeman's death, Cromer said that the result of the coroner's investigation in that case is still pending final autopsy results, which include toxicology reports that typically take many weeks to be received, and that a conclusion is not expected to be reached until June.