Police identify body found in car in Washington City

WASHINGTON CITY — A body found in a car in a Washington City parking lot last week has been identified as a woman from Arizona.

Washington City Police officers respond to a report of a body found in a car parked near Red Robin in Washington City, Utah, Oct. 22, 2021 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Last Friday, Washington City Police officers responded to the report of a body found in a parking lot near the Red Robin restaurant around 7:15 p.m. What they discovered were the remains of a woman who was identified by police Tuesday as 61-year-old Virginia Webster of Fredonia, Arizona.

“Our condolences go out to her family and friends,” Washington City Police Lt. Kory Klotz said in a statement Tuesday.

The body was found in a yellow Volkswagen Beetle, along with two small dogs, and appeared to have been there for an unspecified amount of time.

One of the dogs was already dead when police opened the car, Klotz said.

The second dog was alive, yet appeared to be in bad shape. An officer at the scene tended to the small animal before it was taken to the city’s animal shelter for additional care. The dog died at the shelter soon after, he said.

The parking lot surrounding Webster’s car was blocked off by police vehicles and yellow tape. Large tarps were also hung around the driver’s side area of the car to keep passersby from seeing the body inside.

Officers working directly with the remains and in the car were either seen wearing full hazards suits or face masks while tending to the scene.

A van from the Utah Medical Examiners officers arrived at the parking lot around 8 p.m., at which time the officers moved their own vehicles into a tight circle around the left side of the Volkswagen in order to block the sight of Webster’s body being removed from the car.

The body was transported to the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office in northern Utah soon after, Klotz said.

“The investigation is still ongoing, and we are awaiting autopsy results from the Utah Medical Examiners Office, which can take several months,” Klotz said. “With that said, there is currently no evidence of foul play or suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.”

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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