A 75-year-old St. Joseph woman was found dead in her vehicle on July 14.
An investigation by the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office found that Joyce Marie Barnes had been driving on a dirt road off CR 4 north of 352nd Street in St. Wendel Township, according to the sheriff’s office.
The path narrows and then becomes impassable. Barnes turned around, drove off the path and became stuck. The vehicle came to rest pinning the driver’s side door shut. She tried using the passenger side door but was unable to open it and fell back into the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
The exact time of the incident is unknown but investigators believe it was in the previous 35-48 hours. The investigation did not reveal any criminal activity.
