FORT WORTH — A 32-year-old woman found dead in her apartment last month was the victim of a homicide, the Tarrant County medical examiner's office ruled Wednesday.
Ashford "Monique" Sneed died from "arrhythmic sudden cardiac death during an assault by another person," according to the medical examiner. The term essentially means that Sneed died from an irregular or altered heartbeat prompted by an assault, said Linda Anderson, a spokeswoman for the office.
Sneed's boyfriend called police on the afternoon of Jan. 7, reporting that he had just found Sneed dead inside her apartment in the 500 block of King George Drive, said Sgt. Pedro Criado, a Fort Worth police spokesman.
Sneed was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:27 p.m. Her body showed no obvious signs of trauma, Criado said.
Investigators later connected Sneed to a troubling phone call that had been placed to her daughter's school less than an hour earlier.
Criado said employees at Lowery Road Elementary School had called police shortly before 4 p.m. after receiving an "open-line" call (no one responded when the school employee answered). "Basically, the school employee could hear a male threatening and possibly assaulting a female," Criado said.
Sneed's daughter went to the school office a short time later, reporting that her mother had failed to pick her up after school, Criado said.
No arrests had been made as of Wednesday, and the investigation continues, Criado said.