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Police are investigating what happened to a woman who was upset when she was last seen leaving a family gathering—and later turned up dead on the side of the 5 Freeway.Martha L. Rodezno, 51, of Los Angeles was angry when she left a family gathering in Mission Viejo on foot around midnight. At 2:43 a.m., her body was found on the side of the 5 Freeway about 20 miles away in Santa Ana, according to The Orange County Register. Rodezno was last seen at the 5 Freeway near the Avery Parkway exit, but her body was discovered at a northbound transition ramp to the westbound 22 Freeway.
What happened in between her disappearance and death is mystery—authorities aren't sure whether she hitchhiked or called someone for a ride and whether she jumped out of a car or was pushed. Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told The Orange County Register that it doesn't look like she was hit by a car: "The injuries were not (typical) of a high-speed vehicle versus a pedestrian accident. At this point, it's a suspicious death."
Rodezno's purse was found near her body, but authorities wouldn't say whether any of its contents were missing, KTLA reported.
Rodezno leaves behind three children and parents in Boyle Heights who were at a loss to explain what might have happened.
