Body identified as missing Ohio woman 20 years after death

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Authorities have uncovered the identity of a murder victim 20 years after the woman's body was found wrapped in plastic and a sleeping bag in a remote area of southern Utah.

The Deseret News reports the woman was identified as 37-year-old Lina Reyes-Geddes, who disappeared after leaving for a trip from Ohio to Dallas and then to Mexico.

Her body was found in April 1998 along state Route 276 about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Lake Powell. She died from a gunshot wound, and her fingers had been cut off.

State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis says a California resident had suggested last month that investigators compare the cold case to a missing person report from Youngstown, Ohio, leading to the positive match.

Davis says an investigation is continuing.

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Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com