Iesha Massey death: Body found in Lancaster identified as missing woman; homicide investigation underway
A body found on the side of a road in a remote area of Lancaster has been identified as a missing woman, and her death is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said.
Now, detectives are asking for the public's help in finding her killer.
Posters were placed throughout the Antelope Valley after family members said 42-year-old Iesha Massey went missing in mid-October. She was last seen at her apartment in the Quartz Hills area.
Family members were hoping and praying to find her alive. Unfortunately, a cleanup crew discovered a body on Wednesday, Nov. 19, just north of the Lancaster city limits.
"A road cleanup crew were cleaning up debris off Challenger Way. They started in the area of Avenue E, and were working their way up to Avenue F, cleaning up trash, when one of the individuals cleaning up trash located what he believed to be a person or a body wrapped in some material," Det. Steve De Jong with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
The cleanup crew immediately alerted law enforcement, who determined the victim had sustained sharp force injuries to the neck area, leading to her death.
"They believe that it was a body that's been discarded on the side of the road," De Jong said.
This week, the medical examiner identified the victim as Massey.
Eyewitness News Reporter Leo Stallworth spoke to some of her family members, who said they were too distraught to do an interview.
Detectives said her death is a murder investigation, and they need the public's help in finding and identifying a murder suspect and determining a motive.
Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 323-890-5500.
