Autopsy finds no obvious cause of death

A forensic autopsy performed on the body of a young woman found last Friday adjacent to Del Oro High School failed to determine a cause of death, according to Lt. Jeff Ausnow, with Placer County Sheriff's Department."Even during the autopsy, there were no obvious signs of death," Ausnow said.Ausnow said they are now awaiting results of a toxicology report, which could take six weeks or longer."The toxicology report may indicate something other than foul play," Ausnow said.The victim was identified as Charsha Rene Smith, 20, of Del Paso Heights. Her body was found dumped about 10 feet from Boyington Road near the intersection of King Road, according to a Sheriff's Department press release. Ausnow said that at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Friday, July 3, a woman walking discovered the body of a young woman near the parking lot of Del Oro High School, off of Boyington and King roads.Ausnow said there were no obvious signs of trauma on Smith's body that would indicate a cause of death. He said the body appeared to have been placed at the location sometime during the night and the victim most likely died elsewhere.A portion of Boyington Road was closed for most of the day while investigators scoured the scene for clues. Investigators processed the scene and utilized the California Highway Patrol's Major Accident Investigation Team to interpret and document tire tracks in the area.When the body was initially discovered there was fear that it could possibly be a Del Oro student. Principal Dan Gayaldo was at the scene during the early part of the investigation. Gayaldo said he was "shocked" when he received the phone call about a body found next to the campus."I was concerned that it was a Del Oro student, past or present," Gayaldo said.The principal said he was relieved to find out the victim wasn't a local person, but said it was very tragic.Investigators are still treating the case as a homicide.Sheriff's detectives are continuing the investigation. Anyone with information on the case is urged to call the Sheriff's Department at (530) 886-5375. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash award for information leading to an arrest or arrests may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-923-8191.