BLOOMINGTON– On January 28th, 2024, at approximately 3:20 p.m., officers responded to the 3200 block of South Walnut Street Pike about a possible death. A man reported that he had been in the passenger seat of a vehicle traveling south on Walnut Street Pike when he saw what he believed to be a body in a ditch off the west side of the roadway.
Arriving officers did indeed locate a deceased woman lying in the ditch in a patch of brush. The Monroe County Coroner’s Office identified her as a 37-year-old transient woman. On January 31st, an autopsy revealed that the woman had numerous injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
Investigators were able to locate surveillance footage from a parking lot near where the woman had been located that captured video of the woman being struck by a vehicle. The vehicle is believed to be a large, dark-colored sport utility vehicle (SUV) southbound on Walnut Street Pike. The crash occurred at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, January 27th.
Individuals traveling in the area around the time of the crash reported seeing a large, newer-model dark-colored SUV pulled over near the intersection of S Walnut Street Pike and E Burks Drive. A passerby reported that they stopped and spoke with a middle-aged, dark-complected man dressed in a suit who was walking around the SUV. He said he believed he had just struck a deer.
The Bloomington Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in providing information about the dark-colored SUV pulled off the roadside at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, January 27th. It is believed that the front of the vehicle was damaged in the crash.
Anyone with information about the SUV or its driver is asked to call Detective Chris Scott at 812-349-3382.
