Authorities identify woman’s body found in canal in Scottsdale, investigation ongoing

PHOENIX — The woman who was found dead in a canal in Scottsdale on Saturday morning has been identified, authorities said.

According to the Scottsdale Police Department, 28-year-old Passion Schurz, who was reported missing from the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community, was the woman found dead.

Authorities were able to identify Schurz based on her specific tattoos, her physical characteristics and clothing description, police said.

Dental records will be used to confirm identification as soon as possible, according to authorities.

Police said Schurz did not suffer any fractures, stab wounds, or gunshot wounds, and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner is determining the cause of death, which could take several weeks, according to authorities.

Scottsdale PD’s crisis counselors and Salt River Police Department resources are supporting Schurz’s family.

Officers initially responded to the area of Indian Bend and Hayden roads for reports of a body found in the canal.

Upon arrival, Scottsdale police and fire personnel worked with Salt River Project and Central Arizona Project to recover Schurz’s body.

Scottsdale detectives and crime scene specialists then took over the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Scottsdale police at 480-312-5000.

KTAR News Web Content Editor David Veenstra contributed to this report.

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