Watch CBS News

Autopsy Results Inconclusive In Coral Springs Woman's Death

MIAMI (CBS4) - The family of a Coral Springs woman whose body was found at a Coconut Creek park in July may never know how Maria Claudia Murphy died.

The Broward County Medical Examiner released the autopsy report Friday in which it listed the official cause of death as "undetermined".

"The severity of the decomposition process precludes definitive determination of cause of death to a reasonable degree of medical certainty," Broward County Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Darin P. Trelka wrote in the report.

Murphy disappeared in March. Her body wasn't found until three and a half months later in early July in a wooded area at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek.

The M.E.'s report indicated the remains were so decomposed, they only weighed about 54 lbs.

"There was no evidence of perimortem trauma appreciated," Dr. Trelka wrote. "There were no specimens suitable for toxicology testing."

Murphy's husband Frank told CBS 4 News he knew there was a good chance the results would be inconclusive.

Frank Murphy said he just recently returned from Colombia, where he spread his wife's ashes over a lake where she spent time growing up.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.