BELL COUNTY, Texas — The cause of death for a woman reported missing from Downtown Austin and found in a Bell County ditch four days later has been ruled "undetermined," according to an autopsy report obtained by KVUE.
The family of Tiera Strand, 25, reported her missing to the Austin Police Department (APD) on April 17 after they said she went out to a bar on Sixth Street and they never heard from her again. Deputies with the Bell County Sheriff's Department found Strand on April 21, in a ditch near the 1300 block of Berger Rd, just north of Temple and about 75 miles from where she was reported missing.
Strand's family told KVUE in April that they had little to no answers about how she died. Her sister and her cousins claimed she was attacked by multiple people before she disappeared, and that there is video proof.
Strand's family said when they didn't hear from her, they called her phone. The friends she went out with the night of her disappearance answered and said they had her belongings – something that the family insists is out of character for Strand.
The newly-released autopsy report, performed by a Dallas County medical examiner, provides little more clarity about the nature of her death. It lists Strand's cause of death as "undetermined" and details no trauma to her body.
"The events that occurred between the time the decedent was last known alive and the time her remains were discovered are currently unknown. Furthermore, the level of decomposition may have obscured an injury or injuries that caused or contributed to her death," the report reads. "Therefore, the cause and manner of death are classified as undetermined at this time."
The report does note that Strand was last known alive during a physical altercation on April 16. The report states that, per the APD, Strand was seen on surveillance video involved in a "minor scuffle" on or around that date. She reportedly left the scene on foot and showed no signs of injury.
KVUE's sister station in Temple, KCEN, had previously reported that the Bell County Sheriff's Department was treating the investigation into Strand's death as a homicide.
Anyone with any information about this case is asked to call the Bell County Sheriff's Department at 254-933-5442 or the APD tip line at 512-472-8477.
Strand's family said she was the mother of a 6-year-old girl and had plans to join the military.