Authorities are seriously questioning the incredible story of the Montana woman who was found dead in Washington after having told her husband and police that she’d been kidnapped and was calling them from the trunk of her own vehicle.
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The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the 47-year-old was killed by a single gunshot to the chest and abdomen.
Police found her body in the trunk, with the keys still in the ignition, and a purse was lying in the front seat with a $20 bill nearby.
An officer who called Maze’s cellphone after Maze contacted her family said someone answered the phone and the officer heard gunshots, then silence, court records said.
Authorities and family members believe the abduction was random, and a suspect has not been found.
“She was terrified”, her daughter, Rochelle Maze, told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Washington.
Her call had set off a frantic search by her family and law enforcement that ended when her body was found in her vehicle, abandoned near Spokane International Airport in Washington state.
Maze, who was from Great Falls, Montana, was visiting her ailing mother in Helena and was on her way home, according to KREM-TV.
Her body was found in the trunk of her Pontiac Grand Prix just after midnight Wednesday, 250 miles away in a parking lhuot outside Spokane, Washington, International Airport, authorities said. He said: “There were phone conversations with her, from this office, from the Helena Police Department, just prior to her death”. He was able to talk with her about two hours later, Rochelle said. Dutton said that he spoke with her several times as cell coverage allowed. She tells them she’s in a trunk of a vehicle, but she’s not sure if it’s hers.
Police narrowed the search area, but by the time they got to her, it was too late.
Deputies say they have identified a person of interest, but are still awaiting confirmation.
Maze was initially reported missing from Montana Tuesday morning by her husband.
“She is saying she’s kidnapped”, Dutton said.
She was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Because interstate travel was involved in the abduction and murder, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is working with Montana and Washington investigators to solve the case.
A GoFundMe page has been created to raise money for her family.
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Salonen said he had an expectation that if you served food or cleaned classrooms that you’d do more than that – you would also make connections with kids.
