Southern Minnesota authorities investigating suspicious death after finding body in car

OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. — Authorities in southern Minnesota are investigating a suspicious death after finding a dead woman inside a car following a crash early Saturday morning.

Deputies with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office responded to a single-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate 90 near the Highway 42 exit around 7 a.m.

Upon arrival, deputies encountered the driver, a 32-year-old woman. She was out of the vehicle and being tended to by a passerby, according to the sheriff's office.

When checking the vehicle, deputies found a deceased 45-year-old woman in the back seat. The condition of the woman was suspicious, and "it was immediately apparent that the death was not a result of the motor vehicle accident," the sheriff's office said.

The driver was treated at a local hospital before being arrested for interference with a dead body.

She is expected to make her first court appearance on Tuesday.

The identity of the deceased woman will be released pending next-of-kin notifications.

The Minneapolis Police Department was notified of the incident after receiving a request to conduct a welfare check at the dead woman's address on the 700 block of 16th Street East.

According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, investigators found "a scene indicating violence" at the deceased's address.

The Minneapolis Police Department is assisting the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in its investigation.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit an anonymous tip electronically .

WCCO does not typically identify suspects until they are formally charged.