51-Year-Old Woman Found Dead in Carmel Mountain Under Suspicious Circumstances

A 51-year-old woman was found dead Thursday in her Carmel Mountain apartment under suspicious circumstances, police said.

Officers and paramedics found the woman unconscious in her residence in the 11700 block of Stoney Peak Drive around 9:15 a.m. after getting a report of an unconscious female, said Lt. Manuel Del Toro of the San Diego Police Department's Homicide Unit.

"A friend of the deceased woman became concerned when she did not show up for work today and she did not call in to advise co-workers of her absence," Del Toro said. "This was very uncharacteristic of the deceased woman."

The woman, whose name was not released pending family notification, was pronounced dead at the scene, Del Toro said.

"There was no sign of trauma and the cause of death is unknown at this time," Del Toro said. "Detectives are investigating this incident as a suspicious death pending the autopsy results."

A co-worker identified the woman as Lori Hughes, who worked as a special education instructional aide at Mount Carmel High School, according to NBC7, which reported that Hughes was the mother of three adult children and was going through a divorce.

According to the station, the Poway Unified School District, in which Hughes worked for four years, issued a statement saying, "We are extremely saddened by the news of her passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends."

—City News Service