Cedar Rapids police investigating suspicious death

Police are investigating a suspicious death of a 42-year-old woman found dead Sunday in the bathroom of her Northeast apartment.

Laurie Runza was found dead by police after receiving a 911 medical call to her residence, 1300 Oakland Road NE, #1505, according to a search warrant filed today in Linn County District Court.

Officers found a large amount of prescription drug bottles scattered in her apartment and a large amount of blood for a natural cause death in her bathroom, according to the search warrant.

Police also searched the apartment of another tenant, Cory Murray, who was possibly a friend of Runza's, according to the warrant. He lived just a few apartment away from Runza but was suppose to move out last Saturday.

The maintainence man told police Runza recently told him that Murray was taking a lot of pills and seemed “out of it.”

Police didn't find anyone in that apartment but found what appeared to be blood on the outside of the door handle and the inside of the door. Cedar Rapids Police Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said any time there is no clear evidence of what happened to a person the police conduct an investigation. Runza's body was sent this week to the state crime lab for an autopsy. Hamblin said they won't know the cause of death until a preliminary report comes back.