Body of Missing Woman Found

The case of the missing woman in Fayetteville has now turned into a death investigation. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office confirmed this week that the body found on Coufal Rd. last Tuesday belonged to 39-year-old Viviana Ortiz-Zuniga. Ortiz-Zuniga was last seen on the night of Wednesday, April 2.

Her vehicle was later located in Austin County. Last Tuesday, April 15, law enforcement and first responders converged at a spot along Coufal Rd. between Sykora Rd. and Haw Creek Rd. There, they recovered the decomposed remains of a female. Initially, investigators were unable to positively identify the remains. But this week, the Sheriff’s Office reported the body was that of Ortiz-Zuniga. Chief Deputy Randy Noviskie of the Sheriff’s Office said the Texas Rangers have been assisting Sheriff’s investigators ever since the woman went missing.

“We’re following every lead we get,” Noviskie said. “It’s time consuming, but we’re looking at everything.”

Noviskie said the Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released a cause of death. Until they do, he said the Sheriff’s Office could not comment much more about the case.

The Record has learned that Ortiz-Zuniga’s husband is currently in custody at the Fayette County Jail on a pending stalking charge. He had been out on bond, but his bond was revoked days after his wife disappeared. Court records also show that Ortiz-Zuniga filed to divorce her husband over a year ago. The divorce was not finalized. Moreover, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer for the husband. Court filings for his bond revocation allege that he is an illegal immigrant from Mexico and had been previously deported. The Record asked Noviskie if the husband is a suspect, but he declined to comment at this time.