Carlsbad woman identified as woman found dead in wilderness near Big Sur in Monterey County

A Carlsbad resident has been identified as the woman whose body was found last week under suspicious circumstances in the Ventana Wilderness area in Monterey County, close to Big Sur.

The body was identified as Joanna Ruth Shields, 37, according to Monterey County Sheriff-Coroner Tina Nieto.

Last Thursday, her body was discovered along Pine Ridge Trail near Sykes Hot Springs by a group of hikers who spoke with NBC affiliate KSBW after their two-night hike in the backcountry. The hikers reported the grizzly discovery to California State Parks and Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies.

“I didn’t see any blood. She was pale. She had markings around her neck. I don’t want to say, you know, choking marks, but when the firefighter lifted the jacket, he confirmed that she had a big gash on her head,” hiker Gabe Holmes said.

Deputies, with the help of California Highway Patrol’s air operations, were able to recover her body on Friday. The county medical examiner conducted a forensic medical examination, but the cause and circumstances of Shields’s death are pending the results of toxicology tests, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.

Hikers told KSBW they also encountered a man who said he was Shields’s friend, describing him as cold and shaking.

“Scared, nervous, like shocked, his face just, like, numb and dull,” hiker John Heerema said.

Hiker Luke Heerema told KSBW they asked that man what had happened and he said that, “She went to the bathroom. She was cleaning herself off in the river around 10:30 a.m., and he went looking for her and then just saw her face down in the water, naked,” Luke said.

As of Tuesday evening, no one is in custody and there is no current threat to anyone hiking or camping near Sykes Hot Springs, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation. Anyone with information that may be related to this investigation is asked to contact Detective R. Geng at 831-755-3700. You may also provide information anonymously on our website at mcso.countyofmonterey.gov and selecting the “Submit a Tip” tab.