There's been a development in the bizarre case of the woman found wandering nearly naked, with webbed toes on her both her feet, claiming to be a mermaid near a golf course outside Fresno this week. Local authorities say that, via a tip, and after speaking with the woman's relative, they have positively identified her as a 33-year-old resident of Virginia, but they've declined to publicly give her name because they are concerned she may have been the victim of a crime.
The Chronicle reports that the woman apparently flew into the area last week to potentially scout it out as a future home. The circumstances that led to her ending up in a lake and then wandering nearly nude down a road south of Table Mountain remain unclear. She was found at 3:15 a.m. by a passing motorist, wearing only a sports bra.
The woman had given her name as Joanna, but otherwise could not give police any other information about her identity or how she'd gotten there. In addition to a golf course, there is also a casino in the area.
Per the Huffington Post, Fresno County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Tony Botti suggested that police had used some "insensitive" language to describe the woman, and that they would now refrain from doing so.
Arrangements are reportedly being made to reunite the woman with her family, as the Sheriff's Office tells the Fresno Bee.
Previously: Naked Woman With Webbed Toes Found Wandering Street Outside Fresno, Claims She's A Mermaid