Woman Found Dead In Cherry Creek Was Mother Of 3

DENVER (CBS4) - A family is looking for answers after a mother of three was found dead in Cherry Creek Sunday afternoon.

A passerby found the body of Deisi Fernandez-Castaneda, 28, face down in Cherry Creek near Florida Avenue and Oneida Street.

The coroner's office says they've done an autopsy but the cause of death requires more testing. Denver police say they don't expect foul play but are still investigating what happened along the stretch of Cherry Creek Drive.

"Deisi was a wonderful person. She was a wonderful mom, wife, friend," Juliana Gutierrez said.

Fernandez-Castaned was like a sister to Gutierrez. They grew up and became mothers together. Now Gutierrez will help to raise her best friend's children, ages 4, 8 and 12.

"We don't know what happened that night. We were all like, 'What was going through her mind?' We don't know," Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez says she last heard from her best friend Friday night. Fernandez-Castaneda and her husband went out with friends, had been drinking, and got into a fight. Then Fernandez-Castaneda abruptly left an apartment in Denver.

"She didn't have bruises, she didn't have any kind of scratches on her body, except one on her knee where they think she fell close to the water," Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez is hoping the police investigation will bring some answers. Despite the outcome, she says those answers will be difficult to explain to Fernandez-Castaneda's three boys.

"I have the children. They keep asking me, 'Where's my mom? What happened to my mom?' " Gutierrez said. "She would always think of her children first … right now all I want to do is ask for help. I need help for those children's sake."

The family has set up a fund to assist with the children and the funeral. To donate to the children of Deisi Fernandez-Castaneda go to any Chase bank and use account number 169629950.