A body found off Pala Temecula Road in Temecula, California, is that of a San Diego woman who went missing nearly two weeks ago, police confirmed Friday evening.
Alexandria Nicole Smith, 30, was last seen by her mother, driving down El Cajon Boulevard on the way to a party in National City on Oct. 2.
Smith's phone was discovered by a "dumpster diver" who was looking for recyclables and rummaging through trash.
Sherelle Martin, Smith's best friend of 18 years said she came to San Diego from Oregon to help search for Smith but Friday, they prepared for the worst. Martin spoke with NBC 7 before the family found out the news confirming Smith's death.
"It's been hell. It's been awful," Martin said in an interview earlier Friday. "Deep down, we think it's the worst and we're trying to mentally prepare ourselves for that."
She said Smith had recently gone through a rough patch but there is no way she would just disappear like this. Especially because Smith has a 10-year-old daughter.
"Everyone knew that she was going to this party, but no one knew where this party was," Martin said. "Somebody knows what happened to her and nobody's saying anything about it."
Local
At approximately 12 p.m. Thursday, a body was found in the remote wooded area off Pala Temecula Road, the National City Police Department confirmed.
Although police said investigators were following leads related to a missing person investigation, the identity of the body was not released until Friday evening.
