Coroner identifies woman found dead in car trunk

By Mary Manning

Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 | 12:05 p.m.

Metro Police are waiting for the cause and manner of death of a 59-year-old woman found dead in the trunk of a car in a store parking lot Aug. 19 on Eastern Avenue.

The Clark County Coroner's Office on Monday identified the woman as Gwendolyn Marie Sexton of Las Vegas. Police have said the woman's death isn't of a suspicious nature.

A security guard found the body at the McCarran Marketplace shopping center on Eastern between Patrick Lane and Russell Road after noticing a strong odor coming from a Ford Taurus that had been parked there for about a month, police said.

The woman had been reported missing by family members on July 25, police said.

When Metro's homicide detectives arrived at the scene, there were no obvious signs of violent death, such as knife wounds or bullet casings, said Officer Bill Cassell.

Police found that the back seat could be removed and someone could crawl into the trunk. Police are waiting for the coroner's investigators to complete tests on the body, Cassell said.

Anyone with information about the case is being asked to call Metro's Homicide Section at (702) 828-3521, or Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555.