Sheriff's search teams found the body of a disabled White City woman Sunday in the Agate Lake recreation area.

The cause of Candy Burke's death will not be known until an autopsy is performed.

"It is foul play," said Karina Marshall, Burke's mother who also lives in White City. "She couldn't even fight back."

Marshall said her daughter was found in a little stream in the Agate Lake recreation area.

"I knew my daughter wouldn't just walk out the door," she said, saying she had a feeling that her daughter wouldn't leave without telling her.

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Burke, 24, had Friedreich's ataxia, a disease that attacks the nervous system and was last seen at her residence on Nov. 2.

Her husband, Ryan Burke, 28, (*see correction below) apparently left their house the day after, taking their three children with him to California. Marshall said Ryan Burke has poor eyesight and is not supposed to drive.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, the three children have been contacted and are safe.

Guided by information gathered from investigations, search and rescue teams used dogs to find the woman's body.

Police have responded to several domestic violence calls involving the couple, though court records show Ryan Burke, who is legally blind, has no domestic abuse convictions.

Ryan was arrested in 2000 at the couple's home on Peach Street in Medford after he allegedly tried to strangle Candy with a telephone cord, according to sheriff's deputies. The charges were later dropped.

Marshall said she had always hoped her daughter would leave Ryan Burke, and she said she had strong suspicions about her son-in-law's hand in the death of her daughter.

Last week, investigators searched through garbage piled outside the home. The house was difficult to search because there was so much debris inside, including a room where clothes were piled three feet high.

Investigators are asking the public to call 774-6800 if they have any information about the case.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476 or dmann@mailtribune.com.

*Correction: The original version of this story included an incorrect age for Ryan Burke. This version has been corrected. Return to sentence with error