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Police identify woman found dead near Coquihalla crash

Body found in ditch south of Merritt is that of a woman from the Northwest Territories
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Emergency personnel on the scene of an accident that closed the Highway to northbound traffic approximately 50 kilometres south of Merritt on July 22. Photograph By VSA HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE

- Kamloops This Week

The body of a woman found Sunday in a ditch on the Coquihalla Highway, approximately 50 kilometres south of Merritt, has been identified as that of a 29-year-old from the Northwest Territories.

The woman was not reported missing prior to her death, according to Merritt RCMP Staff Sgt. Lorne Wood.

“We will be notifying next of kin,” he said.

“A lot of people are calling in saying their daughter or niece is missing, so this is our way of letting people know we have identified her.”

Related: Woman’s body discovered in ditch near Coquihalla Highway

Northbound traffic was stopped near the Mine Creek Road exit due to a serious accident when a motorist decided to go for a walk and discovered the body.

Wood said it is unclear how long the body had been there.

He said she did not appear to have been struck by a vehicle or have serious injuries.

“Right now, there are no signs of foul play, but we are still treating it as such until the coroner completes an autopsy and we can hopefully come up with a cause of death,” Wood said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.


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