Missing Woman Was Likely Dead Before Her Body Was Mauled by Lion, Police Say

The body of a 33-year-old woman found dead in California’s American River Canyon Wednesday had apparently been “damaged” by a mountain lion, officials said.

Officials and mountain rescue teams from multiple counties searched for Yin Wong, of Sacramento, for four days after her abandoned car was discovered near the rim of the canyon, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. When authorities finally found her barefoot body Wednesday — about a mile from her car, according to the Sacramento Bee — it appeared to have been mauled by a mountain lion, though evidence suggests the cat found her when she was already deceased.

An autopsy was performed Friday, according to the sheriff’s office, but Wong’s cause of death has not been released.

Following the incident, officials have warned residents to use caution while in or near the canyon.