More than four months after investigators found Carly Schaaf's remains near Pawnee Lake, the 23-year-old Lincoln woman's death has officially been ruled a homicide, according to records obtained by the Journal Star.Ìý
The immediate cause of Schaaf's death wasÌýasphyxia due to smothering combined with a narcotics overdose, according to her death certificate, issued on Thursday.
Schaaf, who was reported missing to Lincoln Police on May 19 and found dead at Pawnee Lake on June 10, had suffered from "acute intoxication" by methamphetamine and diphenhydramine at the time of her death, according to her death certificate. The latter drug is among active ingredients inÌýover-the-counter allergy relief medication such as Benadryl, but can be intoxicating when taken in near-lethal doses, .Ìý
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Schaaf was pronounced dead at 10:35 a.m. on June 10, according to the death certificateÌý— around the same time investigators with the Lancaster County Sheriff's OfficeÌýdiscovered human remains in a wooded area near the southwest side of the lake.Ìý
Sheriff Terry Wagner said then that the remainsÌý— identified as Schaaf's on June 11 and publicly announced as hers on June 12 —Ìýwere discovered in a "covered state" and that the covering appeared to be intentional.Ìý
In a news release announcing Schaaf's death, the sheriff's office said it could take four to six weeks to determine the cause. In the four months since, local law enforcement agencies have repeatedly declined to provide updates on the investigation into Schaaf's death andÌýdisappearance.
No suspects have been named publicly, and no arrests have been linked to the 23-year-old's death. Law enforcement officials have continually saidÌýthere is no threat to the general public
Speaking at a law enforcement briefing in June, then-acting Lincoln Police Chief Brian Jackson said investigators obtained information that led them to the lake west of Lincoln on June 10. It's unclear if that information came via a tip or otherwise.
Jackson said investigators had determined how long Schaaf's remains were near the lake's southwest shore, but law enforcement would "hold close" those details. Wagner said it was still unclear whether Schaaf's body was placed in the wooded area where it was discovered.Ìý
Schaaf was last seen aliveÌýnear the 2000 block of Worthington Avenue, her family told police in May, about five blocks north of the home where Schaaf lived with her parents near Bryan West Campus. She was reported missing on May 19 after her mother had not seen her for two days, according to police.Ìý
In a tearful news conference in early June, Shari Schaaf described her daughter asÌýa homebody with a deep affection for her two dogs, notingÌýthe uncharacteristic nature of Schaaf's disappearance.
Investigators said Schaaf did not take her dogs, computer or cellphone when she left the family's home on May 17.Ìý
As of June, it remained unclear how Schaaf, who didn't have access to a car, left the family's home that morning.
As of Thursday, it also remained unclear where exactly the 23-year-old was killed. Schaaf's death certificate describes the location of her death as "unknown"Ìý— noting only that she was found near the lake.Ìý
Schaaf is one of five known homicide victims in Lincoln this year.
The first,Ìý33-year-old James Shekie,Ìýwas found dead in March.ÌýDeontae Rush, 25, of Omaha, has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing Shekie during a robbery.
Deontae Abron, 31, died in June, days after he was shot in the face at a party that devolved into a fight. Shantrel A. Hickey has been charged with second-degree murder in Abron's death.Ìý
Janet Kotopka, a 78-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer's, was shot five days after Abron was killed. She later died at an area hospital. Her husband, John Kotopka,Ìýwas charged with first-degree murder.Ìý
Alonzo Jones is the city's latest homicide victim. The 28-year-old was shot andÌýkilled at a Lincoln apartment complex in September.ÌýLendell Harris, 23, turned himself in to authorities at the Lancaster County Jail in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and was later charged with manslaughter in Jones' death.Ìý