Woman Drove Mummified Body in Passenger Seat, Police Say
When they approached the vehicle, officers said they could smell a foul odor and noticed a leg underneath several pieces of clothing
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Police say a woman drove for months with a mummified body in the passenger seat of her car, it was reported.
According to the Orange County Register, police discovered the body after they responded to a call that a 1997 Mercury Marquis was parked illegally on the 2000 block of Tustin Ave.
When they approached the vehicle, officers said they could smell a foul odor and noticed a leg underneath several pieces of clothing.
Officers broke into the car and found the mummified remains of a 50 to 60 year old woman, believed to be a transient from Fountain Valley.
According to the Register:
Investigators said the driver of the car had befriended the woman at a local park and allowed her to sleep in the car overnight. When the woman discovered the woman died while inside, she continued to drive the car with the body at her side, said Sgt. Ed Everett.
Police say the body was in an advanced state of decomposition and the woman died three to ten months early.
The driver was apparently afraid to contact authorities and continued to drive the car. The last time the driver saw the woman alive was in December, the Register reported.
Officers also found a box of baking soda that the driver used to try to dissipate the smell.
"This person was somewhat used to the smell," Everett said.The conditions inside the car appear to have affected the decomposition process of the body, and the body was found in a somewhat preserved and mummified state when it was discovered.
An autopsy did not reveal any obvious signs of foul play, according to the Register.
