Body of missing 23-year-old mom found in ditch 10 days after crash, Indiana cops say

The body of a 23-year-old missing mother was discovered on Wednesday, April 13, in a drainage ditch, 10 days after she went missing, Indiana police said.

Ariana Taylor’s vehicle was discovered on Sunday, April 3, after it crashed below Interstate 65 in Gary, an Indiana town about 30 miles southeast of Chicago. Taylor was not in the vehicle, and she was reported missing later that day.

With assistance from the Northwest Indiana K9 Search and Recovery team, a body was discovered Wednesday morning in a shallow drainage ditch south of the crash site, Gary Police Cmdr. Jack Hamady said in a news briefing.

The body was positively identified as Taylor’s, Hamady said. There is no indication as to how Taylor ended up in the location, which is about 2 miles north of where she crashed, the police commander said.

Police would not say if foul play is suspected in Taylor’s death. Officers said there is no threat to the public and there is not a search for suspects.

During the investigation, Taylor’s blue jeans and gym shoes she was wearing when she was last seen were “found a short distance away” from the crash site, WFLD reported.

As police searched for Taylor, the Lake County coroner was called to a location not far from the crash scene on Sunday, April 10. A “body” discovered turned out to be of a “life-sized silicone/rubber type female doll,” McClatchy News reported.

This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Body of missing 23-year-old mom found in ditch 10 days after crash, Indiana cops say."