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Body ID'd as Vera O'Dell, 43 Josephine County deputies are investigating whether homicide led to the death of a Wolf Creek woman whose badly decomposed body was found over the weekend. Vera June O'Dell, 43, was identified "pretty conclusively" by her jewelry, physical description and hair color, said Detective Sgt. Ron Goodpasture. An autopsy was expected to be done late Monday night to determine the cause of her death. "The investigation is just kind of in a holding pattern until we get that done," Goodpasture said. O'Dell had been missing since early December, although Goodpasture noted that a formal missing-person report was never filed. O'Dell didn't have a permanent residence and stayed at places in Glendale and Wolf Creek. On Saturday, a child found the body in a brushy area near a railroad overpass south of Wolf Creek. Goodpasture said that police are investigating the case like a homicide, but he said that they haven't found any signs of foul play. Goodpasture also said that O'Dell didn't have any obvious signs of trauma. He said that O'Dell could have died accidentally or from exposure or possibly from a drug overdose. He said that would be determined by the autopsy. O'Dell's estranged husband, Terrence, was shot and killed in 1994 by her brother, James Steward, when Terrence broke into Steward's home. The Josephine County district attorney decided Steward was justified in the shooting. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA