Body found in U-Haul truck in Fullerton identified as 29-year-old Anaheim woman

A body found wrapped in plastic in the cargo section of a U-Haul truck in Fullerton has been identified as a 29-year-old woman from Anaheim, police said Friday.

Investigators are still trying to find out if Ashley Manning’s death was a homicide, Sgt. Shane Carringer said. She was identified during an autopsy conducted earlier this week, he confirmed.

“Her cause of death is still pending … toxicology could take weeks,” Carringer said. He would release no other details, citing the ongoing investigation, though police did release a photo.

Workers taking inventory made the discovery on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the U-Haul Moving & Storage Facility on East Orangethorpe Avenue and called police.

Authorities learned the truck had been rented in Anahiem, Carringer said, and found in an unincorporated part of the city, prompting Anaheim police to take lead in the investigation.

“It’s suspicious,” Carringer said. “But our detectives are determining if it was a homicide.”

Manning’s family reported her missing in November. According a Facebook post by her sister seeking help finding her, Manning flew from Dallas to Los Angeles International Airport Nov. 13, but was never seen again.

“We have confirmation that she made it to LAX and are working with police to pull video footage to see what care she got into (and) run license plates,” Taylor Manning wrote in her Facebook post.

Manning had most recently been staying in the Anaheim area with friends, Carringer said.

City News Service contributed to this report.