Woman found dead in back of crashed car died before the collision, Minnesota cops say

The “suspicious” discovery of a woman’s body in the backseat of a crashed car led to the arrest of the vehicle’s driver, Minnesota authorities say.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office said the 32-year-old driver was involved in a single-vehicle crash Saturday, June 22, on Interstate 90 near the exit to Minnesota State Highway 42.

As the driver was being tended to, deputies found the body of a 35-year-old woman in the backseat of the car, according to a news release.

But the victim’s death, the sheriff’s office said, was not caused by the crash.

“The condition of the deceased was suspicious, and it was immediately apparent that the death was not a result of the motor vehicle accident,” authorities said.

It’s unclear how the woman died, and she has not been identified as of Monday, June 24.

The driver was taken to a hospital and eventually medically cleared, the sheriff’s office said. Then, she was taken into custody and charged with interference with a dead body.

The charge of interference with a dead body is given when a person conceals a body, hides evidence or misleads the coroner or medical examiner.

Olmsted County is about a 100-mile drive southeast from Minneapolis.

This story was originally published June 24, 2024 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Woman found dead in back of crashed car died before the collision, Minnesota cops say."