ANTIOCH, Calif. (KRON) — Detectives are trying to identify a young woman whose body was set on fire along an Antioch walking trail and died.

The homicide victim was wearing jewelry and her body was burned beyond recognition. The Antioch Police Department released up-close photographs of her jewelry hoping that someone can recognize the rings and necklaces. Her necklace has a pendant with the letter “K,” and she was wearing a ring on her right ring finger.

“The Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau is seeking public assistance in identifying the female victim located yesterday morning on the Mokelumne Trail between Gentrytown Drive and Lucena Way,” APD wrote Tuesday night.

The necklace has a pendant with the letter “K.” (Image courtesy Antioch Police Dept.)

Investigators said they believe that the woman was younger than 30 years old and 5’6″ tall. “Unfortunately, due to the severity of her sustained burns, we are having difficulty identifying her,” said Darryl Saffold, Antioch police public information officer.

Her necklace could have had more letters in addition to “K.” “It is unknown if the letter ‘K’ was the only letter attached to the chain and could be part of a series of letters that was not part of the original discovery,” Saffold wrote.

This ring was found on the victim’s right ring finger. (Image courtesy Antioch Police Dept.)
This ring was found on the victim’s right ring finger. (Image courtesy Antioch Police Dept.)

The woman’s body was still burning when a resident called 911 to report the fire at 5:36 a.m. Monday on a paved trail north of Lopez Drive.

“The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded to the area and located a human body on fire,” APD wrote. An autopsy conducted by a coroner concluded that the woman died before emergency crews arrived at the scene, Saffold said.

(Image courtesy Antioch Police Department)

No arrests have been made in connection to the homicide. Detectives are interviewing nearby residents to see if anyone saw a suspect leaving the fiery scene or saw any other suspicious activities.

Police noted that the victim had extensive dental work done in the past, including three missing left lower molars and a gap between her top front middle teeth.

Anyone with information on the victim’s identity or the incident is asked to contact Detective Whitaker by emailing wwhitaker@antiochca.gov or by calling 925-779-6890. You may also anonymously text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword ANTIOCH.