Foul play called unlikely in Tahoe death

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Authorities said there were no obvious signs of foul play in the death of a California teenager who went missing in the Lake Tahoe area New Year's Eve.

The body of Alyssa Byrne, 19, of Petaluma, was found Friday about 10 feet off the road where she had apparently been walking Monday night after a music festival in South Lake Tahoe.

Paul Howell, a spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, told reporters the remains of the San Francisco Bay Area woman were fully clothed and showed no obvious signs of trauma.

Investigators said they believed Byrne had decided to walk back to town from the community college where the Snow Globe Music Festival had been held and may have fallen from the road into the deep snow.

Officials said there had been a long line for the post-concert shuttle buses and some attendees chose to hike back instead of waiting around, the Los Angeles Times said.