A woman reported missing in Salinas was found de*ad over 260 miles away in Southern California, Salinas police confirmed.
A woman’s body was found in a ravine around 150 yards off southbound Highway 101 near Camarillo Springs Road on Friday.
Copter 6 was dispatched from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office at around 11:30 a.m. on Friday. Within 15 minutes, they found a woman’s body.
She was identified as Guadalupe Coronel Mora, 39, of Salinas, who was listed missing by the California Department of Justice.
No foul play is suspected in her de*ath. Her cause of de*ath is currently unknown.
She was last heard from on Jan. 14, 2025. According to the DOJ, her silver F-150 pickup truck was located abandoned at 5:15 a.m. on Jan. 15 on southbound Highway 101 near Camarillo Springs.
Family told KSBW 8 that she was last seen at her family’s home.
“She was just hanging out lounging in her room, and I didn’t think much of it when I came back that evening, the truck, my parents’ truck, that was found was missing from the driveway. We just thought that she had gone up to San Jose,” her brother, Jose Coronel, said.
Guadalupe worked as a nurse for Kaiser Permanente in San Jose and had a home there, so family members assumed she drove there.
“We didn’t think much of it until Jan. 18 when the highway patrol came by and informed us that her vehicle was found on the side of the road down in Camarillo Thousand Oaks area,” Jose said.
Law enforcement told family members that Guadalupe was involved in a minor accident in Ventura County, in which no airbags deployed.
When officials found the vehicle, Guadalupe was not inside, leaving family members unsure of why she was heading in that direction.
Guadalupe had been taking medication for migraines after a fall at work months back, and her brother recalls her being disoriented and confused at times.
“We’re kind of assuming that she might have taken another hit to the head and kind of just wandered off and not really known where, which is kind of our concern. If someone moved her from there, we have she might not even know where she’s at,” he said.
Guadalupe’s personal belongings, including her car keys and wallet, were found inside the vehicle, untouched.
Her phone was found inside her room in Salinas.
Salinas police add that this was unusual behavior, and CHP Moorpark is leading the de*ath investigation.
Salinas police are trying to determine if she was driving alone or with someone else.
Salinas police added that there was a delay in reporting her missing, and in missing persons cases, it is important to report someone as soon as possible to activate resources more quickly.
