Sheriff's deputies investigate decomposed body in Starr County

GOT A TIP?

>> Anyone with information about this case is urged to call the Starr County Sheriff's Office at (956) 487-5571.

NEAR RIO GRANDE CITY — An anonymous tip led Starr County sheriff's deputies to a decomposed body Thursday morning, officials said.

Deputies found the body about 10 a.m. in a grassy, wooded area near the intersection of Doria Street and Garza Boulevard in Las Lomas, just east of Rio Grande City.

The corpse appears to be that of a female who had a slender build and stood about 5 feet 4 inches tall, Sheriff Rene Fuentes said. Its advanced state of decomposition suggests it had been at the spot more than 30 days.

Authorities hope an autopsy will help reveal the cause of death.

“We have to wait,” Fuentes said. “But right now we're working it as a homicide.”

No area residents have been reported missing recently, increasing the challenge of identifying the body, the sheriff said.

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Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.