Woman found in field near Lincoln died of blunt force trauma, autopsy finds

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The woman who was found dead east of Lincoln last week died of blunt force trauma, authorities say.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that Cecilia Perez, 34, of Omaha was beaten to death.

Her body was found in a field at 98th Street and Havelock Avenue last Tuesday.

On Thursday, the Omaha Police Department arrested Perez’s boyfriend, 33-year-old Raymond Evans, on suspicion of criminal homicide.

Perez’s family told Channel 8 that she was a victim of domestic violence.

“We fought for her so many times to get away,” her sister, Emma Wineinger, said.

SEE ALSO: ‘My sister is dead’: Omaha woman’s family advocating against domestic violence

Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said he’s not sure why the body was dumped near Lincoln. But he said Evans, who is also from Omaha, came to Lincoln regularly.

“Raymond Evans does martial arts training here in Lincoln, and he has come from Lincoln before,” he said. “I don’t know why anybody chose that location.”

The autopsy was conducted in Lancaster County, Houchin said.

But Houchin said the sheriff’s office has since sent all information to OPD, which is now leading the investigation.

“As the case continued on, it was evident that the crime occurred in Omaha, so that’s when we turned it over,” he said.