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bathroommonkey76

(3,827 posts)
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 02:20 PM Apr 2013

Family: Clayton woman's body left in towed car after wreck

Source: WRAL

Smithfield, N.C. — Relatives of a Clayton woman said Tuesday that her body was found in her car days after it ran off a highway and was towed off.

Carolyn Ann Watkins' 2000 Pontiac was found in a watery ditch, down a steep embankment off Swift Creek Road, about 4 miles southwest of Smithfield on Friday and was towed to an impound lot, according to a report from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The report states "no driver (was) at the scene of this collision."

Watkins, 62, was last seen Thursday, but her family didn't report her missing to the Smithfield Police Department until Monday, when she failed to show up at work. They say authorities then found her body in the driver's seat of the Pontiac.

Read more: http://www.wral.com/family-clayton-woman-s-body-left-in-towed-car-after-wreck/12294636/



The pic of her car taken at the scene.

[link:|
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Family: Clayton woman's body left in towed car after wreck (Original Post) bathroommonkey76 Apr 2013 OP
How awful shenmue Apr 2013 #1
I've only had a car towed xxqqqzme Apr 2013 #2
Other people are commenting on about the same thing. bathroommonkey76 Apr 2013 #5
Around here they use flatbed trucks savalez Apr 2013 #7
They would have to tow that car out of the ravine. yellerpup Apr 2013 #10
Most tow trucks... awoke_in_2003 Apr 2013 #18
Thanks for the clarification. yellerpup Apr 2013 #19
could make sense ....... dothemath Apr 2013 #14
Last time I had my car towed notadmblnd Apr 2013 #15
now that's a level of incompetence that's hard to attain. nt TeamPooka Apr 2013 #3
State troopers didn't bother to search the car. Just probably glanced in and had it towed. TwilightGardener Apr 2013 #4
so the 'authorities' thought she walked away from this? azurnoir Apr 2013 #6
Was the body hidden by an airbag? Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2013 #8
You can see the body in the image formercia Apr 2013 #9
I don't see it...I'm not sure I want to... antigone382 Apr 2013 #16
I blew the image up, and yes, I can see what your talking about. You can see her head and shoulder. Fantastic Anarchist Apr 2013 #17
I can see it too. Brigid Apr 2013 #20
jezuz progressoid Apr 2013 #11
Why wouldn't they assume someone was inside? LiberalLovinLug Apr 2013 #12
WTF Skittles Apr 2013 #13

xxqqqzme

(14,887 posts)
2. I've only had a car towed
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 02:32 PM
Apr 2013

a few times but doesn't the tow truck driver need to open the driver's side door and make certain the car is in neutral? Wouldn't a body get in the way? This story doesn't make sense.

 

bathroommonkey76

(3,827 posts)
5. Other people are commenting on about the same thing.
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 02:39 PM
Apr 2013

On WTVD (a local news site) the family says that the body could have been obscured by the deployed airbags and they said the car WAS searched at the tow yard. Very strange story.

Here is that link:

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=9049631

savalez

(3,517 posts)
7. Around here they use flatbed trucks
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 02:49 PM
Apr 2013

not the usual towing ones. Flatbeds just drag the whole car up onto the bed with a cable, secure it and then drive off. Maybe they used a one of those.

yellerpup

(12,249 posts)
10. They would have to tow that car out of the ravine.
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 03:12 PM
Apr 2013

No doubt it was picked up on a flatbed. I doubt they looked inside.

 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
18. Most tow trucks...
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 07:21 PM
Apr 2013

have long enough cables to winch cars out of ditches, whether they are old style or flatbed style. Cars in ditches are a common towing scenario.

 

dothemath

(345 posts)
14. could make sense .......
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 05:02 PM
Apr 2013

Wrecker pulls car from ditch, whatever. Hooks to front end, puts 'skates' under rear wheels and no part of car now touches ground. Doesn't excuse the wrecker driver idiot for not looking in the car, nor of the cop who was on the scene from performing due diligence as to extracting as many details as possible from the situation.

notadmblnd

(23,720 posts)
15. Last time I had my car towed
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 06:04 PM
Apr 2013

the truck driver actually attached some sort of tie off to the steering wheel.

formercia

(18,479 posts)
9. You can see the body in the image
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 03:01 PM
Apr 2013

You can see her head and part of her shoulder on the passenger side of the vehicle where she smashed into the windshield and roof support.

LiberalLovinLug

(14,153 posts)
12. Why wouldn't they assume someone was inside?
Tue Apr 2, 2013, 03:56 PM
Apr 2013

What did they think, someone pushed it over?

Very strange, and awful.

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