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Castro Valley Woman IDd As Murder Victim Linked To Crime Spree Suspect

CASTRO VALLEY (CBS SF) - Oregon authorities said Thursday an East Bay woman was the victim of a homicide believed to have been committed by a North Bay carjacking suspect.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 57-year-old Kirsten Elaine Englund of Castro Valley. The cause and manner of her death were not released.

Englund's body was found Sunday morning near Winchester Bay Wayfinding Point on U.S. Highway 101 three miles south of Reedsport, Ore.

Oregon State Police identified 30-year-old Jeffrey Griffin Boyce of North Bend, Ore. as the murder suspect.

Boyce was arrested by the Central Marin Police Authority in Greenbrae Monday for carjacking, kidnapping, attempted carjacking, false imprisonment, attempted burglary and weapons charges stemming from incidents about two hours apart in Sonoma and Marin counties on Monday.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Marin County Superior Court Friday.

Jeffrey Boyce
Jeffrey Boyce (Rohnert Park Police Dept.)

In a statement released through the Douglas County, Ore. major crimes team, the Englund family said they are "devastated by the heinous, cowardly and senseless crime that took her life.

"We cannot begin to describe the deep void that we will have without her," the family said.

Englund graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, and received a Master's Degree in Business Administration from San Francisco State University, the family said.

She worked for more than 25 years as a Certified Public Accountant, first as an auditor with KPMG in Houston, Texas and later as an internal auditor at Mervyns Headquarters in Hayward, the family said.

The longtime resident of Castro Valley retired in 2008 but volunteered in Parent Teachers Associations and the Castro Valley Arts Foundation.

Castro Valley Woman Confirmed As Victim In Oregon Slaying

Englund liked hiking, camping, bird watching, gardening and traveling, and was an avid card player. She also enjoyed photography and painting, the family said.

She is survived by two sons, a stepdaughter, six siblings, including her triplet sister and brother, and many nieces and nephews, the family said.

"She was an amazing person with a great capacity to love and help people," the family said.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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