Katie Wilkins was only 25 years old. On Saturday, she had made brownies for a party she was going to host the next day, and she had a load of laundry going.
Her death over the weekend is a mystery to family and the police alike, KTLA reports.
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Wilkins was staying at her parents' Malibu house while her parents were out of town for the weekend, and she planned to host a barbecue Sunday. On Saturday evening, her brother found her, dead, in their parents' garage.
There were reportedly no signs of murder on her body or clues as to the cause of her death, which is now under investigation. However, the police suspect foul play because Wilkins' silver BMW 1998 Z3 convertible with red interior is missing, CBS reports.
Wilkins' brother Steve told the Los Angeles Times he thinks there may have been another person with Wilkins who fled the scene. One clue that reflects this is that the dog had gotten out of the house.
"It looks like someone was there with her, and maybe is scared or doesn't know how to come forward," he said.
Wilkins received her bachelor's degree in graphic design from the Art Institue of California in Orange County in 2011, according to her resume. The resume also says she was a graphic design intern for Kapture Vision in 2011 and a graphic designer for Kids Blanks by Zoey in Santa Ana in 2010.
If Wilkins was murdered, it would be the first murder in Malibu in 2012, according to the LA Weekly. "Malibu officials pride themselves on the city's low homicide rate, and like to keep it at zero, if possible. They raised a huge fuss earlier this year when the death of a restaurant worker was erroneously reported as a murder, and made sure the public knew it had only been due to the victim's own poor health," the Weekly reports.
Wilkins' convertible's license plate reads 4AMN558, and police ask anyone with information regarding the case to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, KABC reports. Check back here for the results of the autopsy.
UPDATE: After Wilkins' autopsy today, police said they do not believe foul play was involved in the young woman's death, ABC reports. However, the cause of death won't be determined until after toxicology results are assessed. And, with questions unanswered, "the investigation is on-going," the sheriff's department said in a statement.
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