Durham, N.C. — A missing Durham woman whose body was found earlier this month died as a result of blunt force trauma, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Thursday.

Mayra Mejia-Romero, 28, suffered "significant trauma" from multiple blows to her face and skull, according to an autopsy report. The medical examiner noted one of her wounds was "consistent with hammer face."

A Durham man charged in Mejia-Romero's slaying reportedly confessed to striking her with a hammer several times, the report said.

Marcos Antonio Martinez, 32, told police he killed the woman on May 21 and dumped her body in Falls Lake. Durham police were searching for the woman a few days later, saying she was reported missing and believed to be in danger. She was last seen in a 1998 gray, four-door Honda Accord.

Her body was found May 31. She was positively identified through dental records, according to the autopsy.

Martinez, who shares the same home address as the victim, was already in jail on charges stemming from a May 24 arrest related to identity theft when he was charged in the slaying. Police did not say how the two knew one another.