It was two weeks ago Monday that a CalTrans snowplow operator and some motorists in a turn-out off Highway 330 found a bagged body off the side of the road, which the San Bernardino County Coroner since identified as 28-year-old Cori Daye Desmond of Torrance. Though the coroner’s office has since completed an autopsy on Desmond, who was last seen outside a bar in Redondo Beach after she’d wrapped her Valentine’s Day shift at a bar/restaurant in Manhattan Beach, the results of that autopsy have not been released. The homicide investigation by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department continues–though, as of today, no suspects have been identified or are in custody. Desmond’s funeral was held in the South Bay this week and, according to a friend in attendance, the memorial was packed and there was not a dry eye in the house. A mutual friend and fellow South Bay bartender, Ron Ciulei, tells KBHR, “Cori was an endearing soul. She was a fireball of energy, laughter, love and attitude. She really touched a lot of people. Her beautiful smile, long lashes, contagious laughter and spirit will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.”
