CARLSBAD — The Monterey County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office has determined that Carlsbad resident Joanna Ruth Shields, who was found dead in the backcountry near Big Sur in April, died of natural causes due to probable alcohol withdrawal seizures caused by chronic alcohol use disorder.
Shields, 37, was known for her love of the outdoors and was a fixture in the skateboarding and e-skating community.
Shields was found on April 9 along the popular Pine Ridge hiking trail near Sykes Hot Springs in the Ventana Wilderness area of Los Padres National Forest. Hikers reported finding her face down and unclothed in a small body of water.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office determined the cause and manner of death after a comprehensive forensic examination, an analysis of Shields’ medical and health history, and information obtained from her family during the investigation.
“Throughout the course of the investigation, detectives worked closely with the Coroner’s Office to thoroughly examine all available evidence surrounding Ms. Shields’ death,” the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office said.
Monterey County Sheriff’s officials initially investigated Shields’ passing as a suspicious death. The case drew widespread attention, partially due to comments from witnesses about markings on Shields’ neck and head after she was discovered.
The Sheriff-Coroner’s report addressed these markings in its report. The markings on her neck, which some witnesses speculated were from strangulation, are consistent with “postmortem insect activity,” the report said.
In addition, the report found that the injury on her forehead was determined to be “superficial” and not a contributing factor to her death.
“Investigators found no evidence during the forensic examination or throughout the investigation to indicate that Ms. Shields was the victim of a crime,” the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office said.
Witnesses who spoke to media outlets after Shields also noted that a man who described himself as Shields’ friend had been with her the morning she died.
According to reports, the man told a group of backpackers that Shields had gone down to a nearby river to clean off, and he later found her face down in the water.
These reports elicited some suspicions of foul play online. However, officials said the man was cooperative with investigators, and no further investigative action was taken based on the results of the investigation and forensic findings.
Monterey County Sheriff-Coroner Tina Nieto said her thoughts and prayers are with Shields’ family and loved ones.
“We hope these findings provide them with some measure of peace and closure after several difficult months. I also want to thank our detectives, Coroner’s staff, our forensic pathologist, and our public safety partners for their professionalism, compassion, and dedication to conducting a thorough investigation and providing Joanna’s family with the answers they deserved,” Nieto said.
Shields was a brand ambassador for Evolve Skateboards USA in Oceanside, and was known as an adventurous free spirit who empowered women in the skateboarding community.
Back in 2023, she spoke openly about her struggles with mental health and substance use in a video interview with Evolve Skateboards. She described how anxiety and depression had led her to self-medicate with alcohol, and said her sister, as well as the e-skateboarding community, helped her to get on the right path and find joy and freedom again.
“Anyone who is stuck in the position I was in for so long, you can get out of it, and there is a way to get out of it and there’s a much healthier, happier, free life on the other side,” Shields said in 2023. “Finding that thing to relieve some stress in a healthy way and finding it in these skateboards was definitely a huge turning point in my life.”
Her family described her as an energetic, bright, and spontaneous person who loved nature, her family, and friends, and was on a constant journey of self-development. She was the youngest of 12 children, and grew up in the Mundelein area of Illinois before moving to California with her family as a young girl.
“Often gliding by on her skateboard, with a smile that brightened her gorgeous blue eyes, Joanna was a bright and adventurous spirit who touched the lives of everyone around her,” her family wrote on a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral costs.
A memorial for Shields was held in the Carlsbad/Oceanside area in May, and family members also planned a celebration of life this month in Illinois.
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use disorder, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for resources and information about treatment.
