Woman ID'd in Deadly Ortega Highway Crash

A 43-year-old woman killed in a rollover crash on the Ortega (74) Highway, just west of Lake Elsinore, was identified Tuesday by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office as Kathleen Cosio of Murrieta.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the wreck occurred around 5:50 a.m. Monday near the Candy Store exit off the two-lane road, which connects Orange and Riverside counties.

Witnesses said the victim was driving her 2013 Hyundai Elantra eastbound when she made an abrupt turn to the right, plunging down a 300-foot embankment.

The four-door compact sedan overturned before coming to rest on its side at the bottom of the precipice, according to the CHP.

Heavy vegetation obscured the crash site, and rescue crews did not locate the car until around 10:30 a.m., authorities said.

Cosio had not been wearing her seatbelt. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

— By City News Service.