No Cause Of Death Determined For McDonald County Body

She’s a Jane Doe- no tattoos, no scars, no identifying marks.

In an exclusive interview with News Talk KZRG, McDonald County Coroner William Goodwin says following yesterday’s autopsy, they’re still no closer to determining the cause of death of the woman that was found at the bottom of a steep embankment off Highway 59 next to a suitcase investigators believe she had been stuffed into before it was tossed from a missing car.

“The x-rays show no broken bones, no gunshot wounds or anything of that nature. No stab wounds. We were not able to get fingerprints because the first layer of skin was already deteriorated.”

DNA results are still pending, and the woman’s teeth are being examined.

KZRG asked Goodwin if it’s possible the woman was a missing women from the area, Sarah Burton or Valerie Jones.

“I would say this is more recent. It’s hard to tell because of the heat that we’ve had and the humidity levels has a big impact on the rate of decomposition.”

Goodwin believes the body may have been laying in the elements for two to three weeks before it was discovered by a bicyclist near the Shady Beach Campground on Monday.

It’s believed the woman was no older than 40 years old.

The McDonald County Sheriff’s Office says they are looking into numerous missing person cases, and tips that have poured in, but the woman has not yet been identified.

If you have any information, contact the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office at (417) 223-4319.