Missing Tahoe-area woman whose body was found died from "sharp force injuries," medical examiner says
WASHOE COUNTY – Authorities have determined the cause of death of the missing Tahoe-area woman whose body was found in Nevada.
The Placer County Sheriff's Office says a body was found off of Mt. Rose Highway in the Washoe County area of Nevada. The sheriff's office believes the body is that of Patricia Portella-Wright, who was reported missing on Aug. 9 but was last seen Aug. 4.
Portella-Wright's boyfriend, Brent Clifford, was announced as a person of interest in a Reno homicide on Wednesday. He was taken into custody in Portola later that day.
Clifford and Portella-Wright lived together, the sheriff's office said. He had also been named as a person of interest in her disappearance.
A drone found the body believed to be that of Portella-Wright down a steep embankment. Crews recovered the body.
On Monday, the Washoe County Sheriff's Office positively identified the body as that of Portella-Wright. The medical examiner noted that she died from multiple "sharp force injuries."
Clifford was booked into Placer County Jail for homicide in connection to Portella-Wright's death, the sheriff's office says. Clifford will be arraigned on a homicide charge on Monday.
