Woman Found Injured in Park Dies, and Police Need the Public's Help

They're asking for tips in the death of Christie New
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 8, 2018 12:01 AM CST
Woman Found Injured in Park Dies, and Police Need the Public's Help
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/Prathaan)

A city worker at St. Petersburg's Lake Maggiore Park heard moans around 11:30am March 1, ultimately following them to an injured and bloody woman lying at the base of a group of trees. Responding police found that she'd suffered "severe trauma," per investigators; she was taken to a hospital, but she died Wednesday morning. She has been identified as Christie Lynn New, a 43-year-old mother of a 9-year-old girl, and Florida authorities are now asking the public for help with the investigation, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Evidence shows she "didn't do this to herself," a police spokesperson tells WFLA. The worker who found New thinks she may have been beaten elsewhere and left in the park after 7:30am, since he didn't see her on his morning rounds.

Police aren't sure why New was in St. Petersburg; her family says the stay-at-home mom, who also owned horses and took part in equestrian competitions, lived in Key West and also spent time at a home her family owns in North Carolina. Her family says she had recently driven her horses to Ocala to see a trainer, and they believe she met with a male acquaintance there; he may have been the last person to see her alive. Police have spoken to him, FOX 13 reports. New had also been spotted Feb. 28 in an area around 8 miles from where she was found injured. "If you saw her or have any information about Christie New, you could be eligible for a cash reward (of up to $3000) from Crimestoppers (1-800-873-TIPS), if your tip ... leads to an arrest in this case," the St. Petersburg Police said on Facebook. (More unsolved mystery stories.)

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