Police say alcohol withdrawal caused woman’s death in California backcountry

Joanna Ruth Shields’ body was found in a pool of water with suspicious marks, driving speculation she was attacked

A young woman whose body was found in the backcountry of California’s Big Sur with suspicious marks on her face and neck died of alcohol withdrawal, the Monterey county sheriff’s office said on Thursday.

The discovery of Joanna Ruth Shields’ body in April had driven widespread suspicion that she had been the victim of a violent attack. A group of hikers found Shields, 37, naked in a pool of water in the Sykes hot springs area of the Ventana wilderness with marks on her neck and a cut across her forehead.

The group of hikers also came across a man who reportedly told the group he had been hiking with Shields, and said she had gone to the bathroom without returning. He went looking for her and saw her facedown in a pool of water. The man cooperated with the investigation, the Monterey county sheriff’s office said.

The Monterey county sheriff’s office investigated the case as a “suspicious death”.

But the findings of Tina Nieto, the sheriff-coroner of Monterey county, ruled the cause of death as “probable alcohol withdrawal seizures due to chronic alcohol use disorder”. The marks on Shields’ neck were the result of insect bites, and the gash on her forehead was “superficial” and did not contribute to her death, according to the Monterey county sheriff’s office.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Joanna’s family and loved ones,” Nieto wrote in a statement. “We hope these findings provide them with some measure of peace and closure after several difficult months.”

Investigators found no evidence during the forensic examination or throughout the investigation to indicate that Shields was the victim of a crime.

Shields was a passionate skater who worked as a brand ambassador for Evolve Skateboards.