Body Of Missing UC Davis Student Linnea Lomax Found Near Sacramento River

A body found along the American River in California has been confirmed as that of missing UC Davis student Linnea Lomax.

Linnea Lomax

The cause and manner of death are under investigation. Sacramento County Coroner Greg Wyatt said, "Foul play does not appear to be a factor at this point."

According to the Sacramento Police Department, a volunteer search team was looking for Lomax in the area of Glenn Hall Park on Friday morning. The team discovered the badly decomposed remains at about 10 a.m., in a heavily wooded area just north of the park. The search team notified the police, and homicide detectives and crime scene investigators were dispatched to the location.

Due to the advanced decomposition of the body, preliminary investigations were unable to determine cause and time of death.

Lomax, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, Davis, was last seen alive at an outpatient clinic on Howe Avenue in Sacramento on June 26. She was at the clinic for an all-day visit, but she walked out for lunch and never came back, Lomax's friend, Heidi Hutchison said.

According to Hutchison, Lomax had suffered a mental breakdown while studying for finals. A 2011 graduate of El Dorado High School in Placerville, Calif., she had just completed her freshman year at UC Davis in June. She had a 4.0 grade point average and was studying human development, with the intent of pursuing a degree in nursing.

The young woman spent more than a week at a treatment facility, but was released for outpatient therapy after she showed progress.

Lomax's parents operate Rock-N-Water Christian Camp in Northern California. According to the organization's website, the purpose of the camp is to "experience the joy of God's living word through adventures in the outdoors." Lomax had worked at the camp for the past several summers as a counselor for teens.

Multiple searches had been conducted for Lomax, and late last month authorities received their first solid lead when a notebook belonging to her was found near the American River bike trail. The location is not far from the medical center where she was receiving treatment and not far from where her body was later found, police said.

Members of HelpFindLinnea.org posted a message about the tragic discovery to their website.

"She has gone to be with her Lord. Yet in our sorrow we do not despair, knowing we will see her again one day," the message reads.