Police do not suspect foul play in the death of a young Indiana woman whose body was found on a sandbar this weekend.
According to the Indy Star, police are not treating the mysterious death of Jacqueline Watts, 33, as a homicide. Authorities have not revealed any more details on the suspected cause of death. A press conference is scheduled for noon on Monday.
Watts was reported missing on Friday afternoon by her family, shortly after police found her car still running with the hazard lights on just a few blocks away from her parents’ home. Watts was planning a trip to Washington, D.C., with her husband to visit her sister. She was last seen dropping off her pets at her parents’ house.
READ also: Missing Indiana woman found dead on sandbar, not far from unsolved teen murder site
Columbus, Indiana police had previously characterized her disappearance as “suspicious.”According to the Indy Star, they have cautioned the public against speculating about the cause of death on social media.
Watts was found about a two-hour drive from where two teen girls were found dead on February 14. Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, vanished after going for a hike in a nature reserve in Delphi. They were found dead along a railroad bridge near Dear Creek.
Libby had captured a photo and video recording of a man since identified as the suspect in the apparent homicides. He is still at large and police are working with the public to identify him.
Watts was reportedly a dedicated animal activist, and had been a volunteer with the animal rescue group IndyClaw for five years.
“Jackie was always taking home the really sick bunnies that she could nurture back to health, and if that wasn’t possible, she would many times keep them to their end,” read a post on IndyClaw’s Facebook page.
Photo: Handout