Police say a woman with metro Atlanta ties whose body was found last week in Texas apparently killed herself.
The remains of 33-year-old Leanne Hecht Bearden were discovered Thursday in a wooded area of Garden Ridge by police responding to a resident’s report.
Bearden, who grew up in the Atlanta area, was visiting her in-laws near San Antonio when she disappeared Jan. 17 after going out for a walk, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Garden Ridge Police Chief Donna O’Conner said in a statement that the preliminary autopsy results “indicate asphyxiation by hanging, with the opinion on manner of death, suicide.”
O’Conner said the final ruling on Bearden’s death is pending toxicology results.
“The investigative information indicates the death occurred a short time after she was seen leaving the residence for a walk,” the chief said.
The woman’s body was found less than a half-mile from the home where she had been staying, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Bearden’s brother told Channel 2 that she and her husband, Josh Bearden, had just returned from a two-year trip around the world. The couple stopped in Texas to visit with family before moving to the Denver area, the station reported.
Leanne Bearden graduated from Roswell High School, and her parents still live in metro Atlanta, according to the TV station.
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