Markings on the neck of a woman found naked and dead in the wilderness near Big Sur were caused by insect bites, not strangulation, cops have revealed.

Joanna Shields’ body was discovered in a pool of water on Pine Ridge Trail near Sykes Hot Springs on April 9.

The 37-year-old reportedly had a gash on her head and the hikers who found her claimed she had suspicious markings on her neck.

Joanna, a woman with long wavy hair, smiling and wearing a black helmet and tank top, making a hand gesture.
Markings on the neck of a woman found naked and dead in the wilderness near Big Sur were caused by insect bites, not strangulation, cops have revealed.

A section of a trail entrance, marked with caution tape and a barrier, near a wooden informational kiosk in a wooded area.
Joanna Shields’ body was discovered in a pool of water on Pine Ridge Trail near Sykes Hot Springs on April 9.

A smiling woman in a teal top makes a peace sign from inside a car with a surfboard in the back.
The 37-year-old reportedly had a gash on her head and the hikers who found her claimed she had suspicious markings on her neck.
But on Friday cops shot down any suggestion she had been strangled, saying they believe the marks were possibly caused by ants.

Sheriff’s office spokesman Andres Rosas told KSBW: “In this particular case, this person tragically had injuries that were consistent with injuries that would be caused by insects.

“So in this case, we’re not looking at what they (the hikers) believed it was. We’re looking at markings that were a result of insects.

“I think if there was an obvious sign of death, we would have already been able to conclude or make a conclusion on that.

“But in this particular case, the examiner has determined that we need the lab results from the toxicology in order to make that final determination.”

Joanna Ruth Shields, the Carlsbad woman found dead in Big Sur, sits smiling on a rock in a verdant landscape with a lake and mountains in the background.
But on Friday cops shot down any suggestion she had been strangled, saying they believe the marks were possibly caused by ants.
It comes after Shields’ sister Claudia Robinson previously confirmed Shields’ death, which she says happened because of a “tragic event.”

“We found out and we’re all in different stages of grief as we attempt to process such a devastating blow to our hearts,” Robinson said.

“[Shields] was a bright, radiant light in the peak of experiencing her own joy and gratitude for her existence, and her absence on this Earth will have a profound affect on countless numbers who had the opportunity to encounter her beautiful spirit,” she added.

“As my sister Rachel said, ‘This is the saddest sadness I have ever known.”

Shields was an avid skater and worked in the industry. “She just had so much energy. She was just so passionate, so kind, and she was always, you know, putting other people first,” Jeff Anning, owner of Evolve Skateboards, where Shields used to work, said.

“She was a good rider, and she was a female, and she really wanted to promote e-skate within the female category as well, so she did a lot in that space,” he added.