Margie E Ortiz Identified

Detectives release name of woman who was slain, left in S. Side culvert

Tucson police have identified the woman found slain last week in a South Side drainage culvert, saying she met an "extremely violent death" just hours before her body was discovered. After nearly a week unsuccessfully searching for next of kin, detectives are releasing the woman's name to generate more information on the case. Magnolia "Margie" Ortiz, 57, was a Tucson resident and known to associate with homeless people.

She had a permanent place to stay and she normally stayed there at night, but she associated with homeless individuals throughout the day and sometimes slept on the street," said Sgt. Mark Robinson, a police spokesman. Ortiz was found about 10:45 p.m. on July 16 by two teenage boys who were searching for a place to skateboard. The boys called police, and detectives determined the woman had been murdered. Robinson said police did not receive any other calls from service from the area that night that are related to Ortiz's death.

Because of the ongoing criminal investigation, Robinson said he couldn't give out any more information about the cause of death. Detectives are working to trace Ortiz's movement around Tucson and who she associated with during the week before she was killed, Robinson said. She was known to hang around the Downtown and south Midtown areas, but Robinson said she did not limit herself to those locations.

Anyone with information about Ortiz, her relatives or her associates should call 911 or 88-CRIME.

- Arizona Daily Star on July 23, 2008, by Eric Swedlund