Published: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 / Updated: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 04:49 PM
Body found at state park identified as Gastonia woman
The woman found Sunday on Apple Road in Kings Mountain State Park was a Gastonia woman.
York County authorities confirmed Randi Dean Saldana, 30, of Shannon Bradley Road in Gastonia, N.C., was found dead in the park that straddles the York and Cherokee county line.
Her body, which had been badly burned, was discovered around noon Sunday by a woman on horseback. An autopsy was performed Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Investigators in York County, in conjunction with the Gastonia Police Department, the Gaston County Police, and the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, made identification based on fingerprints. Authorities are investigating this case as a homicide but will not release the cause of death at this time due to the ongoing status of the investigation.
Saldana had been charged with more than 30 crimes in North Carolina, a records check shows. The charges stem from robbery with a deadly weapon to child abuse to possession of stolen goods and larceny. The majority of the cases were dismissed or the charges reduced. She had no record in South Carolina.
Authorities received calls regarding this case after the information was released to the media on Monday.
This marks the second time in three weeks the body of Gastonia woman has been found in Western York County.
On Oct. 29, the body of 17-year-old Heather Marie Catterton was found on Robinson Road near Clover. Authorities still are investigating her death. Catterton also had a criminal past that included drug charges and identity theft, records show.
Police have not said if they think the two cases are related.
Kings Mountain State Park is off S.C. 161 near Clover and spans nearly 7,000 acres in York and Cherokee counties.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the York County Sheriff's Office at 628-3059, or CrimeStoppers at 877-409-4321.
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