'Hiking Anyone?': Widow Posted Online Looking For Hiking Partner Weeks Before She Was Stabbed To Death On Nature Trail

The fatal stabbing of a California senior citizen whose body was mysteriously found on a nature trail near her home is baffling authorities. 

Lisa Thorborg, 68, was found stabbed to death shortly before noon on Nov. 23 on a hiking trail in Carlsbad, California. A passerby who found her body notified police. An autopsy conducted by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Thorborg’s death was the result of a stabbing. 

Weeks before her death, Thorborg had posted on Nextdoor, a social media networking site popular with seniors, that she was looking for a hiking partner, KFMB-TV reported. 

“Hiking anyone?” the Nov. 9 post reads. “I am looking for a friend to go hiking with. I am a moderate hiker, 68 years of age and I would love some company.”

The post, which was later passed along to police, was uploaded on Nov. 9. Since Thorborg’s death, authorities have developed few other leads.

“We understand and share the community’s concern over this tragic case,” Carlsbad Police Lt. Jason Jackowski said in a statement.“ We have devoted all available resources and are working around the clock to ensure justice for the victim and her family.”

A person of interest who was seen in the vicinity of Thorborg’s body around the time of her death hasn’t been identified, law enforcement said. 

“We have put all available resources toward solving this case and ensuring our community’s safety,” Jackowski added. “At this time, we need to hold back some details known only to law enforcement, but rest assured we will release more information just as soon as we can.”

The person of interest, whom investigators described as being white or Latino, was dressed in all black and may have a slight limp. Some of Thorborg’s neighbors also stated they saw a man behaving suspiciously on the hiking trails on the day of her killing. 

“We tried to talk to him,” Gary Dwelley told KFMB-TV. “He acted very strange and then he took a swipe, almost like he's swiping us with a knife. But he didn't have a knife and he did it in the air.”

Dwelley said that it was another neighbor who had found Thorborg’s body.

“They saw somebody who they thought was sleeping,” he said. “They yelled at them. They didn't move.”

No arrests have been made in the widow’s suspected killing.

“We know the community wants answers, and we will release as much information as we can as soon as we can,” Jackowski said. “Our main goal is to ensure the community’s safety and to complete a thorough, careful investigation.”

Thorborg, a retired physical therapist, had recently settled in California after moving from Oregon. Nearly 100 people showed up for a commemorative hike in her memory late last month.

“It’s very sad,” Carlsbad resident Nicole Straka told KSWB-TV. “My heart breaks for her family. I was shocked.”

Locals noted the hiking trail where she was killed is a popular destination.

“I come here by myself all the time—or I used to,” Angela Derby told KSWB-TV. “And being that this is the one thing that we can do during this pandemic, is get out and exercise in broad daylight, and to have that taken away was something that we weren’t going to stand for.”

Anyone with information related to Thorborg’s death is urged to contact the Carlsbad Police Department at 760-931-2165.