Female Suicide-by-Fire Is Identified

Nearly seven weeks after a woman apparently burned herself to death on an equestrian trail in Fullerton, investigators said Monday that they have identified her.

The woman, who police said died Oct. 22 after dousing herself with gasoline and striking a match, was identified as Donna O’Hara, 54, a La Habra homeowner who worked for Sears, Roebuck & Co., officials said. Investigators had first thought the woman may have been homeless.

“She had a nice house and a good job,” said Alex Gassler, the deputy coroner investigating the case. “She’s the only one who will ever know why she killed herself.”

The identification was made after a co-worker at Sears in Santa Ana, where O’Hara worked as a materials handler, filed a missing-persons report last week with the La Habra Police Department.