Authorities are still awaiting toxicology results as investigators work to determine how Joanna Shields died in the Ventana Wilderness.
BIG SUR, Calif. — Friends and family are mourning Joanna Ruth Shields, a 37-year-old woman from Carlsbad whose body was found April 9 near Sykes Hot Springs in the Big Sur backcountry, as Monterey County authorities continue an investigation they have described as suspicious.
Shields’ death has drawn wide attention in Southern California and along the Central Coast because of the unsettled questions that remain days after her body was recovered from the Ventana Wilderness. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has identified Shields and said a forensic medical examination has been completed, but the official cause and manner of death are still pending toxicology results. In the meantime, friends have been publicly remembering Shields as a lively, generous presence in the local skateboarding community, while investigators say the case remains open and no one is in custody.
Authorities said California State Parks and Monterey County sheriff’s deputies were informed on April 9 that a body had been seen in the area of Sykes Hot Springs, a well-known destination reached by the Pine Ridge Trail in Los Padres National Forest. Deputies, with help from the California Highway Patrol’s H70 air unit, recovered the body the next day, April 10, according to the sheriff-coroner’s office. Shields was identified several days later. The sheriff’s office has not publicly released a detailed account of her last movements before she was found. Hikers who were in the area that day later described the scene publicly and said they realized something was wrong while heading out of the backcountry. One of them, Gabe Holmes, told television station ABC7 that Shields appeared pale and had marks on her neck. As the case received more notice, officials cautioned that early impressions from people at the scene might not match the final forensic findings.
By Thursday, relatives, co-workers and friends were speaking less about the mystery than about the woman they knew. Shields had ties to Evolve Skateboard in North County San Diego, where colleagues said her love of riding and easy warmth helped build friendships well beyond the job. Brandon Devroede, an operations manager at the company, told NBC 7 San Diego that the news was shocking and hard for people around her to absorb. Jeff Anning, Evolve’s founder, told ABC7 that Shields had been part of the company’s skate family for years and helped bring more women into group rides. In their accounts, she was energetic, kind and eager to include other people. Her family, which owns Vinaka Café in Carlsbad, also shared a public message of grief, calling her the youngest in the family and describing her as a bright soul in the community. Those remembrances have spread quickly through skateboarding circles in San Diego County, where friends said Shields was known both for her adventurous side and for the way she made people feel welcome.
The case has also unfolded against the difficult setting of the Big Sur backcountry, where distance and terrain can complicate both recreation and rescue. Sykes Hot Springs is one of the most visited destinations in the Ventana Wilderness, drawing backpackers to a remote stretch reached from Big Sur Station by way of the Pine Ridge Trail. Federal and state trail information describes the route as strenuous, with major elevation changes, several river crossings and conditions that can become dangerous after rain. State parks information says the hike to Sykes Hot Springs is about 11 miles one way, and the U.S. Forest Service warns that the trail can be challenging even for experienced hikers. That context does not explain what happened to Shields, but it helps show why the initial response required coordination among multiple agencies and why details from the scene emerged slowly. It also helps explain why early witness descriptions carried so much weight before investigators completed their own examination.
Some of those early descriptions have already been partly narrowed by law enforcement. NBC 7 reported that a Monterey County sheriff’s commander said marks first thought to be ligature marks were actually a trail of ant bites, and that investigators had no information supporting earlier public reports of a skull fracture. ABC7 also reported that officials said what a witness believes they are seeing is sometimes not what it appears to be. At the same time, authorities have not closed the matter or described the death as accidental. The sheriff’s office has continued to call the circumstances suspicious while stressing that everyone who was at the scene is cooperating. Officials told ABC7 that no one is in custody and there is no threat to the public. NBC 7, citing authorities, similarly reported that the death is being treated as suspicious but not as a homicide at this stage. That distinction leaves major questions unanswered, including how Shields ended up dead near the hot springs area and whether toxicology findings will clarify whether injury, environment, medical distress or some other factor played a role.
For now, the next steps are procedural and slow-moving. Sheriff-coroner officials said a forensic medical examination was conducted Monday, April 13, and that toxicology testing is still pending. News outlets citing investigators reported that results from the state forensics lab could take six to eight weeks, meaning a final determination may not come until late May or June. Until then, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office remains the lead agency and has asked anyone with information connected to the case to contact Detective R. Geng or submit a tip through the department’s website. No arrest has been announced, no suspect has been publicly identified and no court hearing has been scheduled because investigators have not said a criminal charge is imminent. The legal posture, at least for now, is an open death investigation with a confirmed identity, an incomplete medical record and a timeline that still depends heavily on lab results and follow-up interviews.
That uncertainty has deepened the sorrow among people who knew Shields best. Friends and co-workers have said they are trying to hold on to the version of her they knew before the headlines: a woman rolling through San Diego on a skateboard, joining group rides, spending time outdoors and bringing a burst of energy into ordinary moments. Anning told ABC7 that the people close to Shields are trying to celebrate the good she did and the time she had, even as they wait for answers. Devroede said the lack of certainty has made the loss harder, because those around her are grieving while still trying to understand what happened. In Carlsbad, the public messages from her family and from the skating community have carried the same note of disbelief. What has emerged most clearly so far is not a settled account of her death, but a growing picture of her life through the voices of the people left behind.
The case remained open Friday, April 17, with toxicology results still pending and investigators asking for tips as Shields’ family, friends and the wider skateboarding community continued to mourn and wait for the next official update.
Author note: Last updated April 17, 2026.