Roma Bhatia was not someone who was easily missed in a crowd.
At 5 foot, 7 inches, she was taller than your average woman and she had an outgoing personality. One where she loved to meet people and talk to them.
But the strange thing is the 10-year resident of San Ramon, Calif., some how went unnoticed in one of the busiest areas of the small East Bay town.
The body of the 47-year-old mortgage consultant for Wells Fargo was found on the far-right, northbound lane, just south of Bollinger Canyon Road, on Interstate 680 on Saturday around 8:20 p.m.
By the time authorities arrived, Bhatia had passed away. But how her body got to the side of the freeway is still a mystery to both the California Highway Patrol, who is investigating her death, and Bhatia's devastated family.
"At this point what we have is that Roma had already been struck and received fatal injuries when authorities arrived," said CHP Officer Steve Creel."Our interest is because this occurred on an interstate freeway is that several people should have seen her body."
But at this point nobody has come forward and reported seeing Bhatia walking along the freeway, according to Creel.
Authorities believe she was walking on the freeway, near the Bollinger Canyon Road on-ramp, for some unknown reason. Her car was nowhere on the freeway or near it.
But her family is having a hard time believing the mother of two would be walking anywhere, let alone a freeway.
"She was absolutely not a walker," said Bhatia's sister Vini Ehsan. "She was the type of person that would use valet parking. She was not the type of person who would prefer to be on a treadmill than walking on the road.
"The family does not believe that. I have spoke with several of her friends today. We don’t believe she could be walking on the freeway. Her death is a complete mystery to us."
Ehsan flew in from Maryland, upon hearing of her sister's death from Bhatia's husband, to help sort her affairs.
But Ehsan and her father, Joginder Singh Oberai, have not been able to see their Bhatia's body yet, despite her funeral being scheduled for this Saturday.
Creel said the autopsy of Bhatia's body was just completed on Monday but the coroners office at this point is not releasing any information.
Whether Bhatia was struck by a car at all is still not even confirmed. Her 80-year-old father says he can't believe that was the case.
"Was she driven there in some car or something?" He asked. "Because of her dress and the jewelry she was looking like she was going to go somewhere."
Creel said authorities have been able to piece together the 24 hours before Bhatia's death but what actually happened just before she passed away is still being investigated.
What is known is that Bhatia was at a hair salon, 2.5 miles away from the freeway shortly before authorities were called to the freeway.
Ehsan said her sister's phone records show she made calls during the day to her father and her brother but both of them said they never received the calls.
Both authorities and Bhatia's family are asking anyone with information to call the California Highway Patrol Dublin area office at 925-828-0466.
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This story was updated to clarify that, according to the husband, Sandeep Bhatia, he and his wife were not estranged, and that they had been living in the same home for six weeks.
