PAUL SQUIRE PHOTO | Police spent nearly seven hours investigating the scene near Riverhead DMV Monday after receiving a call that someone found the body of a woman in nearby woods.

Suffolk County police have a identified the person found dead Monday in a wooded area near the Riverhead DMV as 29-year-old Mirian Garcia of Flanders.

Ms. Garcia, originally of Guatemala, was last seen Saturday night at the Sabor Latino bar and restaurant, which is in the same Peconic Plaza shopping center as the DMV, said police Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the county police department’s homicide squad.

Police have ruled Ms. Garcia’s death a homicide based on a determination by the Office of the County Medical Examiner, officials said.

PAUL SQUIRE PHOTO | Mirian Garcia lived in this Bell Avenue house, police said.

Police spent nearly seven hours investigating the scene Monday after receiving an 8:20 a.m. call that someone found the body of a woman lying in the woods at the edge of the shopping center.

The body was taken to the medical examiner’s office later that day for an autopsy, police said.

A portion of the back parking lot was roped off near a wooded area, but it was opened back up shortly after 3 p.m.

Ms. Garcia lived on Bell Avenue in Flanders, police said.

Sabor Latino is the same bar and restaurant where a week prior, three Riverhead men were injured during a late-night brawl behind the establishment.

A worker reached Tuesday at the restaurant declined to comment about the incident.

Lt. Fitzpatrick said police were able to identify Ms. Garcia because she was carrying identification at the time, and police have spoken “to a fair amount” of family members during the course of the investigation. Police are not yet releasing a cause of death, he said.

The investigation is continuing.  Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS or contact the homicide squad at 631-852-6392.  All calls will be kept confidential, police said.

psquire@timesreview.com