Body Found in Winchester Field

A body was found in a field near Winchester Road today.

A passerby reported it at 1:52 p.m. at the northeast corner of Winchester and Scott roads in Winchester, according to Lt. Robert Moquin.

The cause of death was unknown as of 6:30 p.m., the lieutenant said. “We’re not sure if it was a car accident, we’re not sure if it was a pedestrian fatality, it could have been a natural-causes death,” he said. “We’re in the very early stages of the investigation.”

The woman was in her 30s or 40s, 5-foot-3 and weighed around 200 pounds, said sheriff's Cpl. Courtney Donowho. She had short reddish hair and was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.

A witness reported seeing the woman walking on the side of the road that day, Donowho said.

The body lay among knee-high weeds as 16 law enforcement agents investigated the scene and took pictures.

The victim was a woman, but no further information was available.

Winchester Road was closed north of Scott Road to Domenigoni Parkway, and Scott Road – which changes its name to Washington Street – was closed east of Winchester Road to Benton Road. Traffic was rerouted west on Scott Road to Interstate 215.

The sheriff's department asked anyone with information to call the Central Homicide Unit at 760-393-3500 or the Southwest station at 951-696-3000.

Editor's note: This story was updated with a description of the victim at 5:45 p.m. Friday.

Maggie Avants contributed to this report.