Sheriff’s detectives have opened a suspicious death investigation after the body of a recent San Diego State University student was discovered in the Nevada desert.
Two people riding quads found Margay Edwards, 27, dead on a dirt trail near Pahrump, Nevada last Thursday, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
Edwards’ license was found on her body, but her car and cellphone are still missing. Cal Coast News reports it took investigators four days to confirm the body was Edwards because it was so decomposed.
Authorities said Edwards, a Los Ojos resident, made frequent trips to Las Vegas. She studied business administration and financial services at SDSU but has not graduated. The victim last attended the school in 2013 and did not register for classes this semester, the university says.
NBC 7 traced Edwards to a Vista apartment where she recently lived. The current tenant told us that San Diego County Sheriff's investigators visited there in April to asked her if she knew Edwards.
In the conversation, investigators told the woman that a vehicle registered to Edwards was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Las Vegas and police there were trying to track her down. She said they described the investigation as urgent. However, the woman living there now did not know Edwards.
Although her cause of death has not been determined, detectives are calling it suspicious and are looking into criminal activity. They expect to have more answers after an autopsy.
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Sheriff's officials are also looking for a 2014 Blue Hyundai Accent rental car she was last seen driving. It has the California license plate 7ESZ966.
If you have any information about this case, call the Nye County Sheriff’s Office at (775) 751-7000.
Pahrump is a community known for off-roading and racing. It's home to the Pahrump Valley Speedway and several popular trails used by dirt bikes riders and for other recreational motor sports.
Editor's Note: A former version of this story referred to Edwards as a SDSU graduate. We regret the error.
