Ruth Alice Howard
LUNENBURG COUNTY, Va. — Authorities said the body of a missing woman with depression and anxiety from Lunenburg County was found inside a wrecked vehicle on an isolated road in Prince Edward County Sunday.
Lunenburg County Sheriff Arthur Townsend said a state trooper discovered the body of 64-year-old Ruth Alice Howard after a citizen spotted her vehicle in the woods and called police.
Officials said Sr. Trooper Fariss discovered Howard’s body inside her vehicle in the woods.
“The cause of death does not appear to be consistent with a traffic crash nor of a suspicious nature,” Townsend said in a news release. “The cause and manner of death remain under investigation at this time.”
Townsend said Howard’s family has been notified and that her her body is being transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Richmond to determine an exact cause of death.
Howard, who left her home on Feb. 6 and was last seen at Prior’s Country Store in Nutbush around 10 a.m. that morning, suffers from depression and anxiety, according to deputies.
Virginia State Police are investigating the incident.
Anyone with information that could help authorities is asked to call the Lunenburg County Sheriff’s Office at 434-696-4452.
