Hayward Woman's Body Found At Landfill

LIVERMORE, CA – A body found Dec. 31 at the Altamont Landfill near Livermore was confirmed as a 23-year-old woman from Hayward, and the autopsy showed no signs of trauma consistent with a homicide, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office said today.

Deputies were called at 2:15 p.m. New Year's Eve to the Waste Management landfill on the 10800 block of Altamont Road after workers reported finding a body, the agency said, adding that the case was considered "a suspicious death."

"It appears the body was likely discarded in the trash in another city and transported to the landfill where workers discovered it," Sgt. Ray Kelly said at the time. "The cause of death is unknown but foul play is often a factor in such cases."

But today, authorities updated the findings following the autopsy.

The "cause of death is undetermined pending toxicology," Kelly said. "This could be a situation where she overdoses in a green-waste receptacle and went unnoticed, ultimately going through waste management system to the landfill."

Officials did not yet release the individual's name, but said earlier today that they planned to use fingerprints for an identification, Kelly said.

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— Written by Patch editor Sue Schena; Image by Shutterstock