This one bugs me, as do all of the unidentified remains found on Padre Island. Especially this pregnant woman, found only a few miles away in 1998:
http://doenetwork.org/cases/226uftx.html
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94608
There are many more.
I have a feeling this more recent case is related to cartel violence or trafficking. In the media they say no obvious signs of trauma but the NamUs file says her bilateral feet were missing which is odd... I guess it could be due to animal activity (she was found due to coyote activity) but mutilation like that is very common in cartel murders. Also, although it's not an exclusive trait of cartels they are known to use lime when burying victims. It all just reads like a cold, "business-like" dump by a somewhat experienced person.
Some background info on the area may help. This area is a sort of highway for both human and drug trafficking. It's easier to explain with pictures so bear with me. Sorry this is lengthy but I think this background info may help explain many of these UID cases.
Here's a general view of the area. Red line is Mexican border. I've marked where this woman was found and the beach access road used as a landmark. I've also marked the Falfurrias and Sarita Border Patrol Checkpoints. There has been a rise of illegal activity (immigration, drugs and UIDs found) in the area deserts, ranches and on Padre Island as people try to avoid the checkpoints. I've also marked the Mansfield Channel which seperates North Padre Island from South Padre Island (where this woman was found), and is known coloquially as the "land cut."
You can drive literally on the beach from Corpus Christi, TX (largest city in the area) through the National Seashore, for nearly 60 miles south to this channel. You can't cross to S. Padre Island by foot or car though due to the channel. Vice versa, you can drive from the resort town South Padre Island to that beach access road, then on the beach all the way to where the body was found, then on north to Mansfield Channel. Basically, it's highly likely this woman was last alive south of where she was found rather than north. Also, immigrants coming up from Mexico / South Padre area have been known to walk their way up the beach, swim the channel and then continue walking north on North Padre Island. There's also been drug activity across the channel and in the area waterways in general... involving boats or dropping off and picking up of packages floating in the water.
Close up:
And even closer... based on the description this satellite image should be of the general area she was found - and the whole 100 mi + island is similar in layout. Red line represents the beach and where you can drive - this is where 99% of the normal legal tourist activities happen. Yellow line represents the dunes. It sounds like she was found against or in the dunes near the beach. The green area represents the marshy grasslands on the other side of the dunes that you can't usually see from the beach. There are no trails... driving prohibited... not a lot of legitimate traffic so it sees quite a bit of clandestine activity since it's out of sight. There's also been drug activity via boat in both the Laguna Madre and Gulf.
All of this information also leads me to believe that if the woman found in 1998 is not Eulaila LaPorte, she may have been an immigrant who planned to cross the channel (hence the swimsuit), or she may have even washed up from a Mexican beach.
