NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A coroner’s report says a woman whose body was found in a lagoon at a popular New Orleans park last week was homeless and mentally ill.
The discovery of the 53-year-old woman’s body had put people in the area of Audubon Park on edge, fearing she might have been the victim of an attacker.
However, authorities soon ruled out foul play. Coroner Jeffrey Rouse last week said the cause of death was drowning. In a Monday news release, he identified the woman as Sheila Freedman. He said she had left her home in Massachusetts about a year ago and was suffering from untreated mental illness.
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