Missing Columbia woman’s body found; foul play suspected

A body found Aug. 7 in Tuolumne County has been identified as that of a Columbia woman missing since July 19.

Detectives are proceeding with a homicide investigation because they deem the death suspicious in nature and believe foul play was involved, according to a news release Thursday morning from Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Scott Johnson.

Jeane Ileen Presson, 58, was reported missing from her residence at the Columbia Mobile Home Park on July 25. Her husband told deputies she had walked away from the residence on July 19 and had not returned.

Investigating the missing-person case, detectives interviewed several people and gathered information that led them to an isolated area off of Springfield Road in Columbia. It was there Presson’s body was found, though due to decomposition, it could not be positively identified until an autopsy was done.

The exact cause of death is pending the final autopsy report, Johnson said. No additional information on the case was released.

This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Missing Columbia woman’s body found; foul play suspected."