Gwinnett Police ID Woman Found Dead In Car On I-85

UPDATE: The Gwinnett County police on Thursday afternoon identified the woman found dead in a car on Interstate 85 as Sonja Lucretta Richardson, 25, of Norcross. They said her relatives had been notified.

At about 5:30 a.m. Thursday, officers found Richardson's body in the driver's seat of a blue 2017 Hyundai Elantra. Richardson apparently had been driving the car in the HOV lane of northbound I-85 when it came to a stop against a median wall, just short of Jimmy Carter Boulevard.

No passengers were found in the vehicle, the police said.

Investigators who searched the car "found elements that lean towards this case being a suicide," the police said in a statement.

They originally had treated the case as a homicide, but the local medical examiner will determine the cause of death following an autopsy.

NORCROSS, GA — A homicide probe snarled traffic Thursday morning on Interstate 85, as Gwinnett County police investigated the death of a woman whose body was found inside her car, according to media reports. At about 5:30 a.m., officers responded to reports of a traffic hazard on northbound I-85; they found the woman's vehicle had stopped and was resting against the highway's median wall, in the HOv lane just south of Jimmy Carter Boulevard.

The officers found the woman's body in the driver’s seat, with "a significant amount of blood," the police said in a statement.

There were no passengers in the car when officers arrived, the police said.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution identified the woman's vehicle as a Hyundai sedan, and reported that at least two lanes were blocked on northbounbd I-85 as detectives investigated the accident.

The officers did not find any bullet holes or defects on the passenger side of the car, the AJC reported.

Personnel from the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office were called to the scene, and based on their observations, "the woman’s injuries did not appear to be a suicide attempt," the police said.

The police said the victim is a black woman, adding that her identity will be released after her relatives are notified.

If anyone has information to share in this case, they should call Gwinnett police detectives at 770-513-5300.

To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or click here. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.

Patch will have more on this story as it develops.