The body of Erica Alonso has been found, bringing an end to the search for the missing California woman. However, there are numerous questions surrounding her death — such as how the woman died, and how she ended up deeply hidden in the woods of the Cleveland National Forest. Even though her loved ones believe that she is the victim of foul play — and much of the evidence seems to indicate this — the Orange County Register reports that there were no signs of trauma on the woman’s body. So what could this mean about her cause of death?
Orange County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Jeff Hallock says that there is no known cause of death at this time. The autopsy that was completed this week could only identify the remains positively as being the missing woman, nothing more.
“Cause of death undetermined, no obvious signs of trauma.”
Hallock notes, however, that toxicology tests are underway, but the results of those tests are not yet ready. It should also be noted that this case has not been officially ruled a homicide yet, but there are no explanations on how her body had gotten where it was discovered. NBC Los Angeles reports that the area had been searched before by Alonso’s family members. Her father, Isaac Alonso, had searched “within a few hundred yards” of where her body was located. The man believes that his daughter was murdered, and he issued his own statement indicating that he either suspects someone, or he thinks that a male is behind the death.
“I want someone to pay for this. I want the one who did this, I want him to pay for what he did.”
Erica Alonso was last seen around Valentine’s Day, when she went out with her on-again-off-again boyfriend for a date. During the course of the date, she and her boyfriend allegedly friended another couple, who went home with them to Alonso’s boyfriend’s home. Sometime during the night, Alonso and her boyfriend got into an argument and she left.
At the end of February, the couple came forward, according to KTLA News 5, but it wasn’t until after they saw themselves pictured with the missing woman on surveillance footage the last night she was seen. They told police that they left the boyfriend’s apartment after he and Erica got into an argument. The general belief is that Erica left her boyfriend’s home about 15 minutes later. The details on this fight are not quite known.
[Photo: Orange County Sheriff’s Department/Family of Erica Alonso]