SAN DIEGO -- A missing Los Angeles-area woman's luxury sedan turned up on a downtown San Diego curbside Thursday, and investigators found a corpse in the trunk, police reported.

Slideshow

BODY FOUND IN TRUNK Police Discover Woman's Body In Car Gruesome Discovery Found In Missing Woman's Car

San Diego Police Department personnel found Julia "Deede" Buchanan Keller's silver 1999 Mercedes-Benz E320 parked next to an expired meter at 11th Avenue and Broadway in the East Village district about 12:30 p.m., a dispatcher said.

They then found a dead person stuffed in the luggage compartment and called in homicide detectives. It was not immediately clear if the body was that of the 55-year-old El Segundo woman.

An autopsy will be done to try to establish the identity of the dead person, and the cause of death, authorities said.

Keller was last seen about 11:30 p.m. last Thursday at her home, according to El Segundo police.

Police found her purse in the house and the television on. There were no signs of forced entry.

Family, friends and co-workers of the Shorewood Realtors agent held a candlelight vigil at Library Park in El Segundo last night, praying for her safe return.

Investigators said they had no suspect in her disappearance.

On Tuesday, Keller's employer offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to her safe return.