Heidi Ann Muth, 68, was found dead on a dirt path in Montego Bay after she traveled to the country last week, according to the Orange County Register.
Authorities were trying to figure out who stabbed her in an upscale resort area.
It was unclear why she was in Jamaica, but a friend said someone there owed her money.
Muth taught history for 37 years in Mission Viejo and was a widow with three children.
No arrests have been made.