A woman found dead in Douglas County died of injuries from being dragged behind a truck and strangled by the rope, the coroner said Tuesday night.
“The coroner’s office has determined preliminary conditions leading to the death to be combined impact of head injuries and asphyxiation due to blunt force trauma and strangulation by being dragged behind a vehicle,” according to a news release.
Three witnesses were detained and interviewed Tuesday about the woman. She has not been identified, and sheriff’s detectives said no one has been arrested. Late Monday, investigators released a photograph of a man and a woman that was found near the body. It was not known whether the couple in the photograph were connected to the victim.
The woman was dragged a little more than a mile behind a pickup and her body was left Monday in front of homes in the Surrey Ridge subdivision.
Neighbors who got within feet of the body say an orange tow rope was wrapped around the woman’s neck or head.
Earlier Monday, another neighbor told investigators that he saw a fast-moving vehicle with its headlights off dragging what later turned out to be the body.
The victim was described as possibly Hispanic or American Indian, 5 feet tall with a stocky build and light-color eyes. The woman also had auburn hair, possibly dyed, tied into a ponytail.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
