WGNO

Body of 29-year-old woman missing since November discovered in the back of a U-Haul in California

The body of a 29-year-old missing woman was found Wednesday in the back of a U-Haul in Fullerton, California, police said.

Ashley Manning was wrapped in plastic sheeting and cardboard when employees found her while emptying the vehicle and called police, Anaheim Police Department spokesman Sgt. Shane Carringer told CNN.

The vehicle was rented from a facility in Anaheim, where it was found with an expired lease and towed back to a U-Haul facility in Fullerton, Carringer told CNN. He added that detectives have the rental history of the vehicle but are not releasing it at this time.

Manning had been reported missing to the Los Angeles Police Department in November by a family member after they lost contact with her, he said. She had recently traveled to California from Texas but had a California driver’s license, according to Carringer.

“The circumstances of discovering her are absolutely suspicious,” Carringer said.

The department, he added, is awaiting a toxicology report, which could take weeks to complete, to determine Manning’s cause of death. There are currently no suspects, Carringer said.

It’s also unknown how long the body was inside the vehicle, CNN affiliate KTLA reported.

An autopsy was conducted by the Orange County Coroner Friday, Carringer said.