Raven Santiago was strangled to death in her John Street apartment late Wednesday night and then placed into her apartment closet, according to the Ocean County Prosecutors's Office, which issued Santiago's autopsy results early yesterday afternoon.

An autopsy conducted yesterday morning at Brick Memorial Community Hospital by Dr. Hydow Park established that Santiago, 23, was the victim of a homicide.

The autopsy determined death was caused by "manual strangulation."

In other words, someone had choked Santiago to death and placed her body in the closet.

Santiago's body was found Thursday morning in her Lakewood Plaza II apartment at around 9 a.m. by her grandmother, Maria Santiago, who lived with Raven Santiago and her 19-month-old daughter, Jada, relatives said.

The Ocean Prosecutor's Office declined to comment as to whether they had any leads to the murder.

However, Santiago's relatives believe that Raven Santiago may have been killed by a man that she met on the Internet website MySpace.com.

Relatives said they had met the man, but declined to identify him.

Carmen Santiago, mother of Raven Santiago, could not be reached despite several calls.

There were little signs yesterday morning of the violence that had taken place two nights before at this Lakewood garden apartment complex.

On the sidewalk outside Santiago's apartment were about a dozen glass covered candles and a white poster on the ground containing farewell notes to Santiago.

It's not certain who will become guardian to Santiago's daughter, Jada, who is now being taken care by her grandmother.

Lakewood Detective Lt. Joseph Isnardi and Lt. Thomas Hayes of the Major Crimes Unit of the prosecutor's office are heading the investigation into the killing. They are being assisted by the Ocean County Sheriff's Criminalistics Investigation Unit.