The Monterey County case remains suspicious after coroner officials said neck marks were caused by insects.
BIG SUR, Calif. — Monterey County investigators are waiting for toxicology results in the death of Joanna Ruth Shields, a 37-year-old Carlsbad woman found April 9 near Sykes Hot Springs in the Ventana Wilderness.
The case has drawn attention because early witness accounts described marks on Shields’ neck and a wound on her head, while officials have released only limited findings. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has said the death remains suspicious, but it has not announced an arrest, named a suspect or determined whether foul play occurred.
California State Parks and Monterey County sheriff’s deputies were told April 9 that a body had been seen in the area of Sykes Hot Springs, a backcountry site inside Los Padres National Forest. Deputies were flown into the area late that evening with help from the California Highway Patrol’s H70 Air Unit and located the body. Weather, darkness and rugged terrain delayed the recovery until April 10, when search-and-rescue crews brought the body out by ground. Sheriff-Coroner Tina Nieto identified the woman four days later as Shields. Commander Andres Rosas, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said the agency deemed the death suspicious because investigators did not know how she died.
A group of hikers who had been on a two-night trip told KSBW that they found Shields near the Pine Ridge Trail. Gabe Holmes, one of the hikers, said Shields appeared pale and had markings around her neck. He also said a firefighter later saw what looked like a large wound on her head. The hikers said they also met a man who described himself as Shields’ friend. John Heerema said the man looked cold, shaken and dazed. Luke Heerema said the man told them Shields had gone to wash herself in the river around 10:30 a.m. and that he later found her facedown in the water without clothes. Officials have not publicly identified that man or said whether he is considered a witness, a person of interest or neither.
The most concrete update came April 17, when Rosas said marks seen on Shields’ neck were not signs of strangulation. He said the coroner found the injuries were consistent with insect activity, possibly from ants. Rosas said the finding did not close the case because the cause and manner of death still depend on lab work. He said that if the cause of death had been clear, officials likely would have reached a conclusion already. The sheriff’s office has not publicly released an autopsy report, described any other injuries in medical terms or said whether water, trauma, drugs, alcohol or a medical emergency may have played a role.
The setting has complicated the investigation. Sykes Hot Springs sits in the Ventana Wilderness near Big Sur and is reached by the Pine Ridge Trail from the Big Sur Station area. The route is known as a rugged backcountry hike with steep sections, remote camps and limited communication. In the first public hours of the case, officials closed Pine Ridge Trail to people entering from Big Sur Station while crews worked the scene. Hikers already returning to Big Sur Station were still allowed to use the route back to their vehicles. The sheriff’s office said at the time that there was no current threat to hikers or campers near Sykes Hot Springs.
No court case has been filed in connection with Shields’ death, and no hearing has been scheduled. The sheriff’s office remains the lead investigating agency. The coroner’s office conducted a forensic medical examination April 13, but the official cause and manner of death are pending toxicology results. Rosas said those tests could take six to eight weeks or longer. Until then, investigators have left several central points unresolved, including how Shields entered the water, whether the reported head wound was related to her death and what role, if any, the man described by the hikers played in the final hours before her body was found.
Outside the investigation, friends and co-workers have described Shields as an energetic outdoor enthusiast with deep ties to the skating community. Jeff Anning, founder of Evolve Skateboards, said Shields had been part of the company’s broader skate family and helped bring more women into the electric-skating community. “She just had so much energy,” Anning said in a television interview. He described her as passionate and kind. Friends also remembered her as someone drawn to nature, movement and community. Those remembrances have added a personal frame to a case that remains defined by official silence, witness accounts and pending forensic work.
The investigation now stands between one clarified detail and several unanswered questions. Officials have said the neck marks were not from strangulation, but they have not said what killed Shields. The next major milestone is the toxicology report, expected no earlier than late spring.
Author note: Last updated 2026-04-24.