Detectives trying to identify body of woman found along northbound I-65: Death due to blunt force trauma

Detectives from the Columbus Police Department are investigating the death of an unidentified woman who was found Monday night on Interstate 65 near the 64.5-mile marker.

Columbus police officers were dispatched to the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 at 8:45 p.m. regarding a deceased woman on the shoulder of the roadway, said Lt. Matt Harris, department spokesman.

Officers located the woman’s body a short time later, and described her as Hispanic with a lip piercing who was 20 to 30 years old. She was wearing a maroon sweatshirt, tan pants and black tennis shoes. Detectives are working to determine the woman’s identity, Harris said.

Coroner Clayton Nolting ruled that the cause of
death was blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen, based on a forensic autopsy performed Tuesday. The manner of the woman’s death is still under investigation, he said.

The northbound lanes of the interstate between the Walesboro and Columbus exits were shut down for nearly five hours after the woman’s body was found. During that period, northbound traffic was rerouted to U.S. 31 and State Road 11, said Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the Indiana State Police Versailles post.

Anyone who was traveling in the area between 8 and 8:45 p.m. Monday evening and observed a vehicle parked on or near the interstate or a woman matching the description walking in the area is urged to contact the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600. Tips and information can be left anonymously.

An autopsy was scheduled to be conducted on the woman Tuesday morning, Harris said.

Agencies that assisted at the scene were the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Seymour Police Department, Columbus Fire Department, Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office and Columbus Regional Hospital paramedics.