DEL DIOS (CNS) - A group of people clearing brush near Lake Hodges Friday came across a skull that may have been that of a woman whose partial remains were found a year ago in the same general location.
The discovery off Lake Drive and Maple Lane in the Del Dios area was reported shortly before 8:30 a.m.
Homicide detectives went to the scene to search for any signs of suspicious circumstances connected to the death.
Investigators believe the skull may be that of San Diego resident Marisol Lopez, part of whose decomposed body was found near a walking trail in the area last Oct. 17, sheriff's Lt. Kenneth Nelson told reporters.
Lopez, 29, had been reported missing weeks earlier. The county Medical Examiner's Office was able to identify the remains as hers but could not determine her cause of death.
If the skull turns out to be Lopez's, its discovery may allow investigators to finally determined how she died, the lieutenant said.