Medical examiner can't determine cause of death for body found stuffed in duffel bag

SEA-TAC -- The medical examiner's office says they can not identify the cause of death for the badly decomposed body found in a duffel bag outside a SeaTac apartment building.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office said the remains were that of Jenna K. Ferguson and that her estimated time of death was July 20. Her body was discovered in the bag a week later, on Monday, July 27.

The King County Sheriff’s Office said her death is still being investigated as a homicide.

Investigators are interested in speaking to anyone who had contact with Ferguson between July 7 and July 26. The sheriff’s office said she was last seen July 7 or 8 at the Gethsemane Ministries Church in Seattle and that she was in visiting the area to attend a church-based rehab center.

Detectives are still building a timeline to piece together exactly what happened.

“It could have been here for several days; it could have been here overnight. Again, we just don’t know,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Stan Seo.

The grizzly crime scene has neighbors worried about safety.

“That’s just crazy to think about, somewhere I’m so close to had that happen,” said neighbor Trevor Mott.

Police are cross-referencing missing person cases to try to find a match – but they won’t be able to put a name to the body until the medical examiner completes an autopsy and identification process.