Driver unknowingly drags pedestrian’s body miles along West Virginia highway, cops say

The strange search for a dead pedestrian’s missing body got even more bizarre Thursday, when someone called 911 in West Virginia to report “a vehicle that appeared to be dragging a body” in rush-hour traffic, according to the Wheeling Police Department.

Investigators now suspect the motorist, who was not identified, may have unknowingly dragged the woman’s body for miles through downtown Wheeling and onto Interstate 70.

The identity of the pedestrian remains a mystery, according to a Facebook post.

Police say the initial call came at 6:36 a.m. Thursday, when someone reported a pedestrian had been struck and killed in the 100 block of Wheeling’s Warwood Avenue, according to a police statement.

However, officers who arrived on the scene reported they could not find a body, the release said.

“Shortly after, a second 911 call was made at the Interstate 70, Washington Avenue Exit for a vehicle that appeared to be dragging a body,” police officials reported.

“Further investigation led police investigators to believe a woman was hit by a pickup truck in Warwood and then dragged by a second vehicle to Washington Avenue.”

It’s about five miles from the 100 block of Warwood Avenue to Washington Avenue.

The woman was first hit by “a man driving truck,” and he is the one who called police and returned with them to the scene in search of the body, reported The Intelligencer.

Both drivers have been identified and police are “working to make positive identification of the female victim.” The identities of the drivers were not released.

The case remains under investigation. Police did not say if the pedestrian died from the initial impact on Warwood Avenue or during the time she was being dragged.

This story was originally published November 7, 2019 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Driver unknowingly drags pedestrian’s body miles along West Virginia highway, cops say."