Autopsy: Woman found in forest preserve beaten, throat cut

A woman whose body was found in a suburban forest preserve lake had been beaten and her throat was cut multiple times, according to autopsy results Wednesday.

Police have said they believe the body is Alma Mendez of Chicago Heights, who has been missing since making cell phone calls Sunday on her way to jog along trails at the Sauk Trail Woods Forest Preserve in South Chicago Heights.

The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide but a spokesman said the office had not yet identified the woman. However, a family member who saw the body on Tuesday identified it as Mendez, Cook County Forest Preserve Police spokesman Steve Mayberry said in a statement.

Investigators searching for Mendez found the body Tuesday in a lake near the spot where Mendez's sport utility vehicle was parked, said Chicago Heights police Detective Joe Bruni.

After her family reported Mendez missing, Cook County Forest Preserve police and local police departments searched the area with dogs and a helicopter, and dozens of family members and friends handed out fliers and searched the woods on their own.

Mendez, who worked as a receptionist at a dental practice, had been separated from her husband for about three weeks and had three children, her family and officials said.