
WESTPORT — The 34-year-old woman found dead in a car next to Jesup Green on Sunday has been identified as Joanna Smith of Stratford.
In a brief update to the continuing investigation into the woman’s death, police on Tuesday again said that foul play is not considered a factor. Her identity was released after an autopsy was completed by the office of the state Medical Examiner.
In response to an inquiry Tuesday afternoon, the Medical Examiner’s office said the cause of Smith’s death is “pending further study” and the manner is “pending investigation.”
Police were alerted shortly after 8:30 p.m. Sunday that a woman was seen lying in the back seat of a car parked in the lot next to Jesup Green, while the vehicle’s engine was still running.
Officers arriving at the scene found Smith was unresponsive, and efforts to revive her by a Westport EMS crew were not successful, police said.
The incident, as of Tuesday, remains under investigation by the Police Department’s Detective Bureau.
There was no tape cordoning off a crime scene on the green Monday morning, but the small white Chevrolet where the woman’s body was found was surrounded by bright orange traffic cones.
The green is steps away from Police Department headquarters and the Gillespie Center’s shelters for homeless men and women.


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