Murrieta Mom Confirmed Dead; Sheriffs Release Limited Details

MURRIETA, CA — Sheriff's officials on Wednesday night publicly identified the body of a woman who was found on a Southwest Riverside County hiking trail as that of a missing Murrieta mom. Jennifer Kinsella-Grindle was just 41 and leaves behind three children and her husband.

The woman was found on Friday around 6:44 p.m. along the Tenaja Truck Trail near Tenaja Falls — where friends say she had last been seen on Monday afternoon. That trail is described as a "moderate" hike that's used for running and hiking, according to alltrails.com. The map below shows the approximate location where Kinsella-Grindle was ultimately located, via information provided by coroner's officials.

While it released the new information, the sheriff's department stressed that there is not believed to be any public risk to area hikers. In May, another local resident had been found dead after going missing.

As Patch reported earlier this week, the case of Kinsella-Grindle has been shrouded in mystery. Officials were hard pressed to release information about the woman, while friends and family were sharing information across social media last week as they searched for their loved one.

You can read the approximate timeline of what we've gathered thus far in the case here. Now, here's the official word from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, via a press release issued Wednesday night:

On Tuesday August 29, 2017, at 8:53 AM, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was notified of a suspicious circumstance regarding the location of an unattended vehicle near the Tenaja Truck Trailhead, in the unincorporated community of La Cresta.

With the assistance of the Murrieta Police Department, deputies attempted to locate the registered owner of the vehicle who was reported to live in the city of Murrieta. The Murrieta Police Department was unable to contact the owner. The same evening, the Murrieta Police Department received a report of a voluntarily missing woman, Jennifer Kinsella-Grindle, the registered owner of the vehicle.

Personnel from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Lake Elsinore Station conducted an extensive search of the Tenaja Truck Trail and did not locate Kinsella-Grindle. Murrieta Police Officers entered Kinsella-Grindle into the system as a missing person.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department continued the efforts to locate Kinsella-Grindle and on Friday, September 1, 2017, at 6:44 PM, the Sheriff’s Department received a report of a female decedent who was located on the Tenaja Truck Trail. The female decedent has since been identified as the missing woman, 41-year-old, Murrieta resident, Jennifer Kinsella-Grindle.

The investigation regarding Kinsella-Grindle’s death is ongoing. There is no known risk to the public and the Sheriff’s Department is asking for anyone with information regarding her death to contact the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station at 951-245-3300.

A GoFundMe campaign was started to raise money for the woman's family.

As of Thursday, nearly $7,900 had been raised. Click here if you'd like to donate.

Image via GoFundMe