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Medical Examiner Releases Cause Of Death For Missing Upstate Mother Destini Smothers

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner has released the cause and manner of death for Destini Smothers, who was found dead in the trunk of a car in Queens earlier this week.

According to the OCME, Smothers died from a blunt impact head and brain injury. Her death has been ruled a homicide.

Smothers' body was found in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle in Queens on Wednesday morning. A neighbor told CBS2 the vehicle had been there for about two months before they started contacting 311 to have it towed.

The tow truck driver discovered Smothers' body when he opened the trunk to look for a spare tire.

The 26-year-old mother from Troy went missing in early November after celebrating her birthday in Queens.

Smothers' boyfriend told her family that they got into an argument while driving on the Grand Central Parkway in Astoria and she jumped out of the car.

According to her family, that was something Smothers had done before and her boyfriend usually picked her up.

The family says Smothers' body was found in her boyfriend's car.

Police did not say if the boyfriend is a person of interest. Smothers and her boyfriend had two children together.

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