The Colorado woman whose body was found behind a home on Thursday — nearly a month after she went missing in south Texas — apparently committed suicide, according to Donna O’Conner, Garden Ridge (Texas) police chief.
An autopsy determined that Leanne Hecht Bearden, 33, died of asphyxiation from hanging, according to a news release Friday from Garden Ridge police.
The case received national media attention after family reported Bearden was missing and launched a campaign to find her.
Police received a report Thursday from a Comal County resident who found a woman’s body in a wooded area near his home.
Bearden was last seen about 5:20 p.m. on Jan. 17 when she went out for a run while staying in a relative’s home in suburban San Antonio. The site where the body was found is about one mile away.
O’Conner told local media the deceased woman was wearing a ring that appeared identical to that of Bearden’s.
She and her husband, Josh, were planning to return to Denver after completing a multi-year tour of the world.
Ryan Parker: 303-954-2409, rparker@denverpost.com or
