(SBT24/7News) The woman found dead Wednesday night in a city park has been tentatively identified as Melissa Marie Shields, 35, of Mishawaka.

Police were being tight-lipped about the case and would not confirm the identity immediately. An autopsy was under way this afternoon to determine the cause of death, according to deputy coroner Charles Hurley.

He said the victim has been tentatively identified as Shields, based on recognition of her by police officers who knew her. Formal identification was awaiting a fingerprints check, he said.

Shields’ mother, Rhonda Riley, also admitted that the victim was Melissa, but said the police told her not to talk about the case. She said she spent a sleepless night after being contacted by police.

Danny Walker, who said he was a friend of Shields’, said he had heard that she was beaten to death.

Shields has been a frequent occupant of the county jail, with 70 arrests going back to 1990, according to jail records.

South Bend police arrested her most recently on Aug. 16 in the 2900 block of South Michigan Street. She is charged in that case with theft, possession of cocaine, possession of paraphernalia, and two counts of auto theft.

According to Indiana Department of Correction records, Shields also has served three sentences in state prison for auto theft receiving stolen auto parts carrying a handgun without a license and possession of cocaine.

Neighbors were clearly disturbed by the homicide, which happened just before midnight Wednesday in Ravina Park, a small park in the 900 block of East Indiana Avenue, along the bank of Bowman Creek.

“This freaks me out,’’ said Sara Lenardson, who lives across the street from the park. She said she has lived on Indiana Avenue for about a year and has never had any serious problems.

Jimmy Scales, who has lived for 40 years along the east side of the park, said the 900 and 1000 blocks of Indiana Avenue are fairly stable, with long-time residents.

He described the occupants further west as transients who move in and out of the neighborhood with frequency. A lot of people just wander the streets all day, he said.

Ravina Park has a curfew, he said, “but people are out here at 3 in the morning. What good is a curfew if they don’t enforce it?’’

The small neighborhood park has only a few pieces of playground equipment, including a swingset, sliding board and monkey bars. The victim’s body was found under the monkey bars.

Police went to the park late Wednesday in response to reports of a woman screaming. Both Lenardson and Scales said they had not heard the screaming.

Scales said screaming is not unusual in the park, “but it’s play screaming,’’ kids making noise as they have fun.

He said police have done a good job of cleaning up the southeast side, particularly in getting rid of the Dawg Life gang.

“It really worked,’’ he said, “and I was glad to see it.’’