GARY, Ind. — The Indiana State Police are investigating a single-vehicle crash that claimed the life of 23-year-old Faith Vandell Mitchell of Chicago, Illinois, early Sunday morning on I-80 near Cline Avenue.
According to investigators, the crash occurred at approximately 1:56 a.m. when a vehicle struck a concrete bridge support at mile marker 4.8 and quickly became engulfed in flames. The Gary Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office reported that Mitchell was identified with the help of family members through tattoos, though final confirmation will require DNA or dental records. She was pronounced dead at 2:38 a.m. by a coroner’s investigator.
A forensic autopsy is scheduled for Monday, September 22, at the Lake County Forensic Center in Crown Point. Officials listed her cause of death as multiple blunt force traumatic and burn injuries sustained in the crash. The manner of death was ruled accidental.
Agencies assisting at the scene included the Indiana State Police and the Gary Fire Department. The investigation remains ongoing.
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