Las Vegas Metropolitan police received a call about a “possible deceased person” in Paradise, Nev., around 4:19 a.m. Oct. 3.
Arriving in the unincorporated town – known for the iconic miles-long Las Vegas Strip that runs through it – officers found a woman’s limp body stuffed inside “a luggage bag near an apartment complex,” around Spencer Street and East Reno Avenue, police said in a press release this week.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the body as that of 46-year-old Kristen Avelar.
Stephanie Wheatley of the coroner’s office said that the cause and manner of Avelar’s death are still pending, adding that the autopsy would likely take up to 90 days to complete.
The homicide section has taken over the investigation, based on what police call “the suspicious nature of her death.”
Las Vegas Metropolitan police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information on the investigation and updates on any potential suspects.
On her Facebook account, Avelar – who provided no public relationship status and said she lived in Las Vegas – described herself as a homemaker in an update to her profile on Sept. 30, 2023.
In an undated note on her page, she wrote: “Another day with [rainbows] and butterflies! Make the best of what you have to work with!”
If you know anyone who knew Kristen Avelar or have any information about her whereabouts before her death, you may contact the Los Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com. Or, to remain anonymous you may contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555 or online at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.
