Missing Petaluma Teen Found Dead Near Lake Tahoe Hotel
LAKE TAHOE (CBS SF) -- The body of a missing Petaluma teenager was found Friday morning near a Lake Tahoe hotel she was staying at for a New Year's music festival, Douglas County sheriff's officials said.
At a 10 a.m. news conference, sheriff's officials said the body of 19-year-old Alyssa Byrne was found Friday morning on the side of the road in the snow in El Dorado County, about 5 miles from the hotel she was staying at with friends.
A utility worker in an elevated truck spotted the body lying in the snow about 10 feet off of Pioneer Trail near South Lake Tahoe, sheriff's officials said.
The cause of death was under investigation.
Sheriff's officials said no signs of trauma were immediately visible on the body.
However, conditions on the night of New Year's Eve were especially cold, authorities said.
Byrne was staying with friends at the Horizon Casino Resort in Stateline, Nev., while they were attending the SnowGlobe Music Festival, according to the sheriff's office.
The three-day music event that typically draws an estimated 40,000 people was held at the Lake Tahoe Community College campus from Dec. 29-31.
Byrne's friends last saw her in the hotel bar between 12:30 and 1 a.m. on New Year's Day, officials said.
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