Woman found dead inside car weeks after driving into ‘swampy area,’ Utah officials say
A 46-year-old woman was found dead inside her car off a Utah highway nearly a month after she was last seen, authorities told local news outlets.
Valerie Gardner’s body was found inside her vehicle, which was partially submerged in water off the side of a road in West Valley City on Tuesday, Dec. 21, her family said in a Facebook post.
She was last seen on Nov. 26 — the day after Thanksgiving — leaving her job at Sundance Catalog Corporate in West Valley City, the Gephardt Daily reported. She was reported missing on Nov. 30, KSL-TV reported.
A duck hunter driving by the area was looking for birds in the pond when he saw a car, KSTU reported. His wife, Taylor Richens, then told him to call the police.
“The vehicle went off the road down into a ditch and it appears like it has been there for a while, we don’t know how long,” Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden told the Gephardt Daily. “We know that there is a deceased individual inside.”
Authorities identified the body as Gardner, KSTU and KUTV reported.
On the day Gardner went missing, authorities received a 911 call from a witness saying they watched a vehicle drive off the road and into a ravine, KUTV reported.
Troopers responded to the call but did not see a vehicle in the ravine, the news outlet reported.
Officials do not suspect foul play but they haven’t ruled it out either, KSL reported.
“Little information is known at this time. More will be shared with us in the coming days, and we will share what we can,” a Facebook page created by friends and family to search for Gardner posted on Dec. 22. “Thank you for loving Valerie and for your support and efforts to find her.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2021 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Woman found dead inside car weeks after driving into ‘swampy area,’ Utah officials say."
