By Roger Lanse

Local sources told the Beat they found the body of a woman July 5, 2018, near Box Canyon Road north of Cliff. The sources stated there was what appeared to be a bullet wound to the head of the body and after reporting it, watched Office of the Medical Investigator staff arrive, take photos, and transport the body.

OMI staff reported to the Beat that the female victim was found in a remote area about 300 feet off Box Canyon Road and appeared to have been in her 40s-50s, had blond hair and was wearing a dark T–shirt advertising a BBQ restaurant in Kingman, Ariz. No identification of the woman was located. She was of average build and about 5’ 7” in height. She appeared to have been dead several months, according to OMI staff, as the body was partially mummified.

She was wearing no jacket, according to OMI staff, and three small bags were found nearby, one of which contained clothes and another MRE’s. A semi-automatic pistol was found near the body.

The official cause of death will have to wait for autopsy results, OMI staff said. When combined with DNA analysis to identify the woman, those reports could take more than a year to be released.

The Beat reached out to the Grant County Sheriff’s Department for comment, but they advised the case is under investigation and no information can be released.