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Investigation continues into body found during eviction attempt

A court-services officer serving an eviction notice at an East County apartment Tuesday spotted what appeared to be a woman's body inside the residence.

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) – The San Diego County Sheriff's Department continued its investigation Wednesday into a suspicious death after a woman's body was discovered in a box in the bedroom of a Lakeside apartment.

Deputies were serving an eviction notice to a resident at the Riverview Villa Apartments in the 11,000 block of Woodside Avenue in Lakeside around 9:00 a.m. Tuesday. When they arrived, the woman living there told them about the body in the bedroom.

CBS News 8 was told the body was in a back room, locked in a box about the size of a large suitcase and sealed with tape. San Diego County Sheriff's deputies say her remains were in there for six months to a year.

Neighbors say the woman who reported the body has a paraplegic daughter who makes visits to the apartment. However, authorities haven't confirmed that information as of this report.

"Unquestionably, a very sad case for anyone to go through something like this for the neighbors, for the family members. Undoubtedly a very sad case,” said Lt. Ken Nelson with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. “It's unfortunate that we have to respond to these types of events, but these are the types of events that we are called to, unfortunately."

An autopsy was completed Wednesday, but a cause of death was not determined. The identity of the woman has not been released.

The woman who reported the body hasn't been arrested and is not a person of interest. She was also taken to the hospital, but investigators declined to say if it was for physical injuries or mental health treatment. Management at the complex says they have no comment, and would not say what they would be doing with the belongings inside the apartment.

Neighbors told CBS News 8 Wednesday they're still trying to process it all.

"I couldn't even walk by the stairs. I was so scared, it was petrifying. I was just terrified that the body was in there," a neighbor said.

 

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