Overview
- Hikers found Joanna Ruth Shields near Sykes Hot Springs on the Pine Ridge Trail in early April, and rescue crews recovered her body on April 10.
- The Monterey County Sheriff‑Coroner announced on July 23–24 that Shields’s manner of death is natural and the cause is “probable alcohol withdrawal seizures due to chronic alcohol use disorder.”
- The coroner concluded the markings on her neck were consistent with postmortem insect activity and that a forehead laceration was superficial and did not contribute to death.
- Investigators based their finding on a months‑long forensic examination, Shields’s medical records and family statements, and an interview with the person who was reportedly with her, who cooperated.
- Medical experts and coverage note that alcohol withdrawal seizures can occur within hours to days after stopping heavy drinking and can be fatal without medical treatment, underscoring public‑health risks and the family’s reports of prior withdrawal episodes.