Police believe body found near Mt. Rose Highway is missing Kings Beach woman

The body of a missing Kings Beach woman was believed to be discovered by authorities Thursday morning, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said.

Police found a body near Mt. Rose Highway Thursday they believe to be Patricia Portella-Wright, 48, who was reported missing on Aug. 9. Authorities were still awaiting confirmation on Thursday, according to the sheriff's office.

Mt. Rose Highway between Douglas Fir and Sunridge drives was shut down Thursday morning. Police expected the area to remain closed into the afternoon.

The sheriff's office was led to the Mt. Rose Highway area through information obtained in its investigation. A drone was used to locate a woman's body down a steep embankment, police said.

The California woman was believed to be with her boyfriend, Brent Clifford, a person of interest in a homicide investigation in northwest Reno and in the missing persons case.

According to Reno police, Clifford, 55, also of Kings Beach, traveled from the Tahoe area to Reno on Aug. 9 to visit a friend. RPD investigators identified that friend as William F. Andrews, 68, of Reno, who was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head on Sunday at a residence in the 1300 block of Keystone Avenue, police said.

The investigation revealed Clifford fled in Andrews' red 2003 Chevrolet Blazer, which had last been seen in California heading westbound on Highway 70, police said.

Clifford was arrested in Portola, California, on Wednesday afternoon on an active warrant, authorities said, but Portella-Wright was not found. On Thursday, Clifford was booked into the Placer County Jail on a murder charge, the sheriff's office said.

This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Police believe body found near Mt. Rose Highway is missing Kings Beach woman