The vehicle of a missing Idaho woman found dead Tuesday appears to have vaulted off a nearly 60-foot cliff before submerging in a river, according to a preliminary report from the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
The body of Laura Lane, 54, was found July 7 after her red Dodge Dart was pulled from the Buffalo Fork River near Moran, Wyoming, in Grand Teton National Park.
The vehicle floated in heavy spring runoff before submerging under water about a quarter mile downstream, WHP reports.
The vehicle was located by aerial drone Sunday after fisherman in the area found Lane’s wallet near the area where her car left the road, prompting a search by law enforcement and park rangers.
The preliminary report suggests that Lane, who was traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 26 and not wearing a seat belt, drifted across the eastbound lane and off the south shoulder before landing in the water.
WHP is still investigating the potential cause of the crash, said Arron Healy, public information officer for the agency’s District 3.
As of Thursday, Lane’s cause and manner of death are still pending, according to Teton County Coroner Brent Blue.