Body found in Logan Heights By Joseph Armenta Police are investigating a homicide after residents discovered the body of a woman in an alley of a Barrio Logan neighborhood. About 8 a.m. on June 15, police said, a woman walking to work noticed something wrapped in a red blanket in the alley about 100 feet from South 31st Street. After attempts to rouse the victim, later identified as 38-year-old Tammy Jo Charland, the woman got local business owners to call 911. Charland was pronounced dead by emergency crews at the scene, and local homicide detectives were called to investigate. Police reported that "visible areas showed evidence of trauma," according to a news release. Santiago Chago, owner of Chago's Auto Service, located at the corner of the alley where the body was found, said that Charland and her husband were occasionally seen walking in the neighborhood prior to the incident. Chago also said the alley lacks lighting and can be very dark at night. Although Chago said that he hasn't noticed much crime besides vandalism, San Diego Police Department crime statistics show that the Logan Heights area experienced the fourth-highest number of violent crime incidents, including 22 cases of armed robbery and 23 cases of aggravated assault in the first quarter of the year. Chago said Charland's husband arrived on the scene and left with police officers. Lt. Kevin Rooney from the San Diego Police Department Homicide Division said the husband was released a short time afterward. The cause of death is not being released. An autopsy was performed, but the Police Department is not giving out any information. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said that the location of the assault is undetermined and did not release details of the trauma. Detectives said they are reluctant to release information during the investigation. According to court records, Charland had a son in 1986. The records also show she was asked to attend a rehabilitation facility for pregnant women in 1998 after being imprisoned for probation violations. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported, "Charland was known to be homeless from time to time and did not have a fixed address." • • • Vox is the newspaper of the 2009 CCNMA-San Diego Multicultural Journalism Workshop. Return to index | See also: Vox on Blogspot