A pedestrian walking along Highway 74 in Homeland stumbled onto a grim scene Wednesday morning: the body of a woman lying on the side of the road, unidentified and, according to investigators, possibly there for several days before anyone noticed. Riverside County Sheriff's Office deputies responded first, but the case was quickly handed off to the California Highway Patrol because of the body's location right next to the state highway.
According to KESQ, the body was found on the southbound side of Highway 74 between Joppe Avenue and Steinhoff Avenue in Homeland. CHP officer Jesus Garcia said officers were dispatched to the unincorporated community near State Route 74 east of Steinhoff Avenue, as detailed by CBS News. Garcia said the body appeared to have been at the location for a few days before it was discovered.
Jurisdiction Shifts From County Deputies to State Highway Officers
The initial 911 call reached the Riverside County Sheriff's Office at 9:39 a.m., but deputies transferred the investigation to CHP because of the body's proximity to the state route, per Menifee 24/7. The CHP's Temecula Area office holds jurisdiction over major state highways and unincorporated roadways across southern Riverside County, including State Route 74, State Route 79, Interstate 15 and Interstate 215, according to the agency. That coverage area includes rural communities like Homeland, where the discovery was made.
As of Wednesday evening, the woman had not been identified. CHP investigators are now waiting on the Riverside County coroner to examine her body, both to confirm her identity and to look for evidence of whether she was struck by a vehicle. The station's report notes investigators are weighing two possibilities: that she was the victim of a hit-and-run driver, or that she died of separate, non-traffic-related causes.
A Stretch of Highway With a History of Pedestrian Deaths
If investigators determine a driver struck the woman and left the scene, the case could carry serious legal weight. Under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, leaving the scene of an accident that results in injury or death is a felony-eligible offense punishable by two to four years in state prison and fines of up to $10,000, according to the Goldstein Law Group.
The intersection where the body was found has seen fatal collisions before. Perris Valley Incidents reported that a fatal vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision occurred at the exact intersection of Highway 74 and Steinhoff Avenue in Homeland in February 2023. And Patch reported that a 35-year-old Hemet man was struck and killed by a passenger car while walking across State Route 74 in Homeland back in October 2020, pointing to a longer pattern of pedestrian deaths along the corridor.
Part of the danger stems from infrastructure gaps. According to the Riverside County Planning Department's Harvest Valley plan, State Route 74 serves as a major east-west artery connecting Perris and Hemet, but the unincorporated stretches through Homeland lack continuous sidewalks and dedicated pedestrian infrastructure. Caltrans has since announced a $51.6 million corridor improvement project for State Route 74 in Riverside County, aimed at rehabilitating lanes, installing traffic management systems and improving roadway safety features along heavily traveled segments.
Coroner's Office in Perris to Lead Identification Effort
The Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau conducts death investigations, autopsies and victim identification procedures for western Riverside County out of its main regional facility in nearby Perris, according to official agency records. That office is now expected to determine both who the woman was and how she died, findings that will shape whether the case becomes a criminal hit-and-run investigation or is classified differently.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact CHP's Temecula office at 951-466-4300. No further updates on the woman's identity or cause of death had been released as of Wednesday evening.
