Autopsy: North Carolina inn worker died of strangulation

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An autopsy says an aspiring chef slain last year at a scenic North Carolina inn was strangled to death.
The autopsy released Monday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner lists strangulation as the cause of death for 29-year-old Sara Ellis, who died in July 2018 near the Pisgah Inn. The autopsy also notes blunt force trauma to the face.
Her former co-worker at the inn, Derek Shawn Pendergraft, was charged last year with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual ab