Coroner unable to identify body found in missing SLO woman case

March 29, 2018

An autopsy conducted Wednesday by the San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office failed to identify the body officers found while searching Perfumo Canyon on Sunday for a woman who has been missing since January. [Cal Coast Times]

While searching for Kristen Marti, authorities found a dead body that appears to be female, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department. The body was located by a K-9 team in a creek near the roadway in Perfumo Canyon. A sheriff’s dive team came out to the scene to assist with recovering the body.

San Luis Obispo police say officials have been unable to identify the deceased person found in Perfumo Canyon due to the condition of the body. The SLO County Sheriff’s Office has not released any information on the case.

Last year, the sheriff’s office hired a full-time forensic pathologist, Joye Carter, who heads the coroner’s unit. Carter replaced former SLO County medical examiner Gary Walter, who came under scrutiny for a DUI conviction and questionable rulings on causes of death.

Marti, 26, has not been seen or in contact with friends since Jan. 9. Marti was last seen in the 1800 block of Perfumo Canyon.

Police initially said Marti was with a man in a parked maroon colored sedan when she was last seen. SLOPD now says the maroon sedan is no longer of interest in the case.

Detectives have instead identified a mid-90s red Chevy S-10 Blazer, that is now a vehicle of interest in the case. Investigators request that anyone who noticed the Blazer in or around Perfumo Canyon in the evening hours of Jan. 9 contact the police department.