Body In Midway City Believed To Be Of Nun Missing Since May

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBS) — The death of a woman believed to be a Buddhist nun who has not been seen since May is under investigation in the unincorporated area of Midway City.

The woman's body was found Thursday afternoon in a shed behind the Buddhist worship center in the 14000 block of Purdy Street, Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said.

Investigators believe the body is that of a 41-year-old Buddhist nun who has not been seen in four months.

An autopsy conducted Friday was unable to determine the cause of death, Amormino said.

The woman's body was badly decomposed, so further investigation and toxicology reports are needed before cause of death can be determined, he said.

No missing person report was ever filed, although no one had seen the nun since May, Amormino said.

"They said they thought she just got up and left," Amormino said of the other Buddhists at the worship center.

"We believe we know who it is, but we're waiting for a positive identification and to notify next of kin," Amormino said.

No one at the worship center apparently had access to the shed since May, and the body wasn't discovered until a worker went into the shed Thursday, he said.

The woman was wearing traditional Buddhist nun attire.