The Santa Maria Police Department had not yet made an official determination Friday as to how a woman died before she was found Thursday with her throat cut.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, said Lt. Dan Ast, and he expects to reveal more information on the woman’s death that day.

Police have not released the woman’s name or age.

Police are investigating the death of the woman as a homicide, though they have officially labeled it as a suspicious death. They are also considering the possibility that the woman killed herself.

“Nothing’s been ruled out at this stage,” Ast said Friday.

She was found dead Thursday afternoon in her bedroom inside her Santa Maria residence in the 600 block of West Park Avenue. A knife was found nearby, Ast said, and she had bled profusely.

Ast said police have suspicions as to how the woman died, but he would not say what those are.

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Investigators cleared the scene at the residence around 8 p.m. Thursday, he said, and on Friday, investigators were conducting follow-up interviews.

The woman who died lived in a back house of a larger residence, and an occupant of the main house became concerned after not seeing the woman for some time, Ast said.

The occupant of the main house found the woman dead Thursday, but Ast has said he did not know how long it had been since the woman died.

Investigators were reportedly looking into the woman’s mental health history, as well as any domestic issues, as part of their investigation.

Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or syale@santamariatimes.com.

September 6, 2008