Autopsy: Woman found by road was bound, strangled

A group of state inmates was cleaning up roadside litter along Old Oxford Road about a mile north of Snow Hill Road on June 30 when they spotted a large plastic bag and found human remains inside, authorities said.

Authorities used dental records to identify the body as that of Wanda Rose Spence, 43, of Elmo Street. She had been missing for more than a week when her body was found.

Spence suffered several blows and cuts to her face and head, which resulted in skull fractures, according to the autopsy report. She also suffered injuries to her neck consistent with strangulation, the report states.

Her ankles were bound with an electrical cord, and the cord went up through her denim shorts and bra strap and was attached to the back of her shirt, the autopsy report states.