Body found in Lemon Creek area

Juneau police say the body of a 55-year-old Juneau woman was discovered this morning on the Switzer Creek and Richard Marriot Trail in the woods behind Dzantiki Heeni Middle School.

Police Lieutenant David Campbell says a jogger came across the body shortly after 7 a.m. Patrol officers and paramedics responded and determined she was dead then investigators arrived to process the scene.

He says they look for any kind of physical evidence, trauma to the body, and take lots of photographs. He says no foul play is suspected.

“In this case we do have a lot of other information about the person, about the circumstances and about what was found out there,” Campbell says. “We’re just not in a position to release that until we have confirmation from the medical examiner’s office as to what the actual cause of death was.”

The body will be sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for an autopsy.

Campbell says the identity of the woman will not be released until relatives are notified.

Principal Molly Yerkes says police assured her that parents did not need to keep children away from school, and that the death was not connected to the school or students.

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