A severely beaten woman who was found in a Ventura street with a piece of wood protruding from her mouth Saturday morning was in "very critical condition" on Sunday, authorities said.
The victim, who was found about 9:40 a.m. Saturday in the 800 block of Poinsettia Place, near downtown Ventura, "still has not regained consciousness," said Ventura Police Sgt. Bob Anderson.
Anderson said Sunday that reports of a stake in the victim's throat were "exaggerated" by some news media. He described it as a piece of wood 8 to 10 inches long, "lodged in the back of her mouth."
Investigators believe the woman had been beaten on the head and upper torso with a piece of wood similar to a 2-by-4.
Police have identified the victim but her name was not disclosed because "we're treating it like a sexual assault."
