Person found dead in southern MN crash died before collision, driver arrested

(FOX 9) - A driver was arrested in southern Minnesota after a body was discovered inside a vehicle after a car crash – a death that deputies say happened before the collision.

Around 7 a.m. on Saturday, the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office responded to a single-vehicle accident on Interstate 90 near the Highway 42 exit in Eyota Township.

The driver, a 32-year-old woman, was found outside her vehicle, being helped by a passerby. While checking the vehicle, deputies discovered a deceased 35-year-old woman in the back seat. Deputies say "it was immediately apparent that the death was not a result of the motor vehicle accident."

The driver was taken to the hospital by Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service, where she was medically cleared. She is being held in Olmsted County Jail on charges of interfering with a dead body and obstructing legal process.

At this point, it's unclear how the person died and what the driver was doing with the body.

However, Monday evening, Minneapolis police said they are working with the Minnesota BCA on the case. During a search, they say they found a crime scene.

"MPD was notified of the incident when the BCA requested officers do a welfare check at the deceased’s address in the 700 block of 16th Street E at approximately 2:30 p.m.," Minneapolis police write. "At approximately 8 p.m., the BCA, Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, and Minneapolis Police investigators executed a search warrant at the address. A scene indicating violence was located inside of the address."

The Minnesota State Patrol, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Eyota Fire Department, and Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service assisted at the scene. The investigation is ongoing, with no further details available at this time.

The deceased woman has not yet been identified. FOX 9 is not currently identifying the driver because she hasn't yet been charged.