Foul play is not suspected in the death of a 29-year-old woman whose body was found Monday evening in deep woods off the Sabine River in north Orange County.
Orange County Sheriff’s Investigations Captain Cliff Hargrave said the autopsy of Ashley Southern showed she had no signs of traumatic injury. He said a toxicology test for the autopsy will take a few weeks.
Southern and her husband had been at his mother’s house in the Indian Lake Road area of Deweyville. She left Sunday morning to meet people at the river and was not seen again. Captain Hargrave said a surveillance video on Indian Lake Road showed her walking at 9:30 Sunday morning. Southern had grown up in the Indian Lake neighborhood and knew the area, he said.
Her husband reported her missing to Newton County Sheriff Billy Rowles, who put out information for the public to look for her.
Captain Hargrave said her body was found in Orange County, 231 meters, or about 758 feet, from the Newton County line. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office then took over the investigation.
Southern’s husband was in the search party of people driving four-wheelers that found her body about 7:30 Monday evening.
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