Authorities said that the body found in April in the Pacific Ocean not far off the coast of Fort Bragg is that of a Mendocino County woman who had gone missing.
29-year-old Fort Bragg resident Angela Geovanna Carrillo-Palomar was reported missing to the Fort Bragg Police Department on April 14. She was last seen on April 1 while strolling across the Noyo River Bridge.
Police made several futile attempts to find her, including scouring the places she frequently visited, chatting with friends, looking for her phone, and monitoring her bank card activity.
According to a news release on Tuesday, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the body’s sightings for the first time shortly after 2:54 p.m. on April 26. The rocky, steep shoreline and turbulent water made it challenging for swimmers from California State Parks to retrieve the body during the first rescue effort.
The Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department used jet skis to help ensure the safe return of the rescue swimmers, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife subsequently used a boat to move the remains to Noyo Harbor.
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Following the recovery, the coroner’s investigation was started by the sheriff’s office; however, no identifying marks could be found on Carrillo-Palomar’s body. An original report from April 26 stated, “Based on the clothing located on the decedent, it is believed the decedent is likely an adult female.”
A DNA sample was taken from the body by a coroner’s investigative technician from the sheriff’s office on May 1st during the autopsy. Authorities thought the body fit the missing Carrillo-Palomar’s broad description.
The Department of Justice’s DNA lab in Richmond received the sample, and when it was compared to samples from Carrillo-Palomar’s relatives, it enabled investigators to positively identify her body on July 3.
The reason of death and disappearance of Carrillo-Palomar are still being looked into. Anyone with information is urged to call the sheriff’s office at 707-964-0200.