GARDINER — A family is mourning the loss of a Sequim-area woman, described as a “free spirit,” after her body was found off Diamond Point Road earlier this month.
Authorities identified the woman as Sine Tveit, 51, a Sequim-area transient who camped a short distance from where her body was found Sept. 2.
“We’re devastated,” said Jean Laidig, Tveit’s aunt and godmother. “Talking to the siblings and the family, everyone is just so sad.”
An autopsy Tuesday did not determine the cause of death for Tveit, though it doesn’t appear to be a homicide, said Brian King, chief criminal deputy with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department.
Without a definite cause of death, Tveit’s family is still looking for answers.
“Who knows what happened really,” said Jean Laidig, Tveit’s aunt. “Everyone just can’t figure out how this could have happened and why. It’s just so hard.”
King said that finding a cause of death will require going into the medical aspects of the investigation and that a toxicology report could take about six weeks.
Toxicology will help determine if Tveit died of natural causes, he said.
Because of the level of decomposition, it was difficult to determine how long Tveit’s body had been there before she was found, he said.
Tveit’s body had likely been there for about a month, based on receipts and interviews with friends and family, he said.
The woman hadn’t been reported missing, likely because she lived a transient lifestyle, King said.
“Always, she has been a free spirit,” Laidig said. “She simply doesn’t walk the paths other people do.
“She simply did her own thing.”
Laidig described Tveit as a kind-hearted Christian who loved kids.
King said Tveit was known to be nomadic and that she was known to camp around and stay with friends.
“We are still actively investigating,” King said. “We want to have as many answers as we can for the family.”
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
