Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office investigating "suspicious death"

SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. — The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a death they are calling ‘suspicious’.

At around 3:30 am on October 16th, deputies received a report of a woman that had committed suicide near Dorris. When deputies arrived, they found the woman, 18-year-old Elizabeth Mae Novak, dead with an apparent gunshot wound. A man, 38-year-old Vang Pao Lee, at the scene told deputies Novak had shot herself.

As deputies investigated they found 1.5 grams of methamphetamine in a purse as well as a large number of marijuana plants growing on the property. A background check had also shown Lee to be a convicted felon.

Lee was taken into custody for a weapons violation and could face additional charges from the marijuana that had been found.

An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was a gunshot wound, but the manner is still considered “undetermined”. A toxicology report is still pending.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information on the case contact them at (530) 841-2900.