Woman’s body found in vehicle in northwestern Indiana lake

LATEST: The Lake County Coroner’s Office had not responded by July 7, 2022, to identify the woman and provide her cause of death.

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Conservation officers on Sunday helped local police after a woman’s body was found in a partially submerged vehicle in a Lake County park’s lake, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources says.

A DNR news release from Indiana Conservation Officer Alex Neel did not identify the woman pending family notification.

Emergency crews were sent about 7:45 a.m. Sunday to a report of the vehicle near the intersection of Randolph Street and Ainsworth Road in Big Maple Lake. That’s at the Deep River County Park that sits between the eastern city limits of Merrillville and Hobart.

The release did not say what type of vehicle was found in the lake, how the vehicle ended up in the water, or whether the vehicle remained in the lake.

Lake County Sheriff’s Department is investigating. The department did not immediately respond Sunday evening to an email from News 8 to learn additional information.