Officials say preliminary autopsy results point to a medical cause of death after an initial suspicious death probe.
SAN DIEGO — San Diego police say a woman found Monday afternoon in a Rancho Bernardo parking lot with a head wound died from an apparent medical issue, not foul play. Officers were called about 2:36 p.m. to 17394 West Bernardo Drive, where the woman was discovered on the ground next to a vehicle.
The update shifts an investigation that began as a suspicious death into a case led by the county medical examiner. Detectives initially treated the scene as suspicious because the woman had visible injuries and was unresponsive. By Tuesday, after an autopsy, officials said those injuries were superficial and not the cause of death. Authorities had not publicly released the woman’s identity or age, pending family notification. The case underscores how police handle unexplained deaths: secure the scene, notify homicide investigators, and then adjust once medical findings clarify what happened.
Police said the call came from the lot of the Westwood Club, a neighborhood recreation center in the Rancho Bernardo community. Officers and medics arrived within minutes and attempted to aid the woman but determined she had died at the scene. “She was lying next to a vehicle and bleeding from her head,” Lt. Lou Maggi of the San Diego Police Department said, explaining why detectives were initially brought in. The area was taped off as investigators documented the scene and interviewed people nearby on a busy weekday afternoon. The lot, which serves club facilities and nearby pickleball and tennis courts, remained restricted while officers processed evidence and towed a vehicle.
According to police, the woman’s body was found outdoors on the asphalt beside the driver’s side of a vehicle. The preliminary exam by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday determined the observed head injuries were superficial. Early findings indicate the death was medical in nature. Officials did not describe the specific condition pending final toxicology and lab results, which can take weeks. Detectives said there was no immediate indication of a hit-and-run, assault, or robbery. No arrests were made, and police said they were not searching for a suspect based on the autopsy’s initial conclusions. The department said next-of-kin notifications were underway before the woman’s name would be released.
Rancho Bernardo, a master-planned community in northern San Diego, is ringed by shopping centers, schools and recreation facilities used by residents throughout the day. The Westwood Club sits along West Bernardo Drive just off Interstate 15. While suspicious death calls are not common there, police follow the same protocol citywide anytime a person is found dead with unexplained injuries: patrol officers secure the scene, homicide detectives evaluate evidence, and the medical examiner determines cause and manner of death. Initial “suspicious” classifications can shift once an autopsy clarifies whether an injury resulted from a fall or other medical event rather than a crime.
Investigators said the homicide unit responded Monday because of the visible head wound and lack of witnesses who could immediately explain how the woman fell or became injured. The autopsy conducted Tuesday led officials to say the injuries were not fatal and that no foul play was suspected. The medical examiner will complete a full report, including toxicology, before issuing the final cause and manner of death. If the findings hold, the case will be closed as a non-criminal death, with police reports retained as part of the record. If later results suggest otherwise, detectives could reopen a criminal inquiry. Police said they would provide the woman’s name after family members are notified.
On Monday evening, the parking lot was quiet except for a handful of officers and staff from the recreation center moving in and out of the building. Residents arriving for afternoon activities waited behind crime-scene tape while investigators photographed the area around the car and marked items on the ground. A tow truck removed the vehicle after technicians finished their work. Maggi said officers spoke with employees, visitors and people who had been using nearby courts earlier in the day. “Our goal was to make sure we didn’t miss anything that might explain how she ended up on the ground,” he said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, police said there was no broader public safety threat associated with the incident. The medical examiner’s office will release the woman’s identity and age after family notification, followed by the final autopsy report once lab testing is complete. Police said any additional updates would come after those steps are finished.
Author note: Last updated 2025-11-13.