NEWPORT BEACH — On March 4 at approximately 6 a.m., the Newport Beach Police Department responded to a call of a woman lying face down in the sand, who appeared unconscious, at West Ocean Front and Highland Street, near Lifeguard Tower 71.
Newport Beach police and fire personnel responded and determined that the woman was deceased at the scene. The woman is described as Asian, in her mid-20s, approximately 5’2”, with a thin build.
The Orange County Coroner’s Office is currently conducting an investigation to determine the cause of death and the identity of the victim. This is an ongoing investigation and no further information is being released at this time.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Detective Garrett Fitzgerald at (949) 644-3797 or the Police Department’s hotline at (800)-550-NBPD. Messages may be left anonymously if so desired.
UPDATE: The Police Department said March 5 that the identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin, and that detectives are investigating this incident as a suspicious death, pending autopsy and toxicology results from the Coroner’s Office.