Wife vanishes while on walk, then her body is found near DUI crash, California cops say
A woman who never returned home from a walk was found dead after she was hit by an accused drunk driver, California police say.
Multiple agencies responded to a single-car collision at an intersection near the Santa Ana River at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Anaheim Police Department said in a news release.
Officers arrived and found two people nearby who were thought to be inside the Mercedes during the crash, police said.
Both were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, according to police.
Through an investigation, officers determined the driver was “traveling at a high rate of speed” and “went off the road, through a greenbelt, and into a riverbed” after failing to navigate a 90-degree turn, police said.
Then, while officers were investigating the crash, a man told them “his wife went for a walk on the greenbelt” but never returned home, police said.
Officers searched the greenbelt and “tragically” found a woman dead in dense brush near the crash, according to police.
Police said they believe the woman was hit by the car as it traveled off the road and that she is the man’s wife.
The 33-year-old driver of Santa Ana was arrested on multiple charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter and felony DUI, police said.
The woman’s identity has not been publicly released.
This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 7:50 AM with the headline "Wife vanishes while on walk, then her body is found near DUI crash, California cops say."
