NAPA COUNTY, Calif. — A tragic discovery was made Tuesday evening after authorities located a missing woman’s vehicle in a remote area along State Route 29.
At approximately 5:15 p.m., the Napa County Sheriff’s Office advised the California Highway Patrol (CHP) that a 2000 Honda CRV had been found off the roadway near Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, a mountainous and heavily wooded stretch of SR-29. The vehicle was connected to an active missing person’s investigation that deputies had been pursuing earlier in the day.
When Napa Area CHP officers arrived, they initiated a crash investigation. Sadly, the driver—identified as a 77-year-old female from Carson, California—was discovered deceased inside the vehicle. Authorities confirmed that she had been the subject of the missing person’s report.
To allow emergency personnel to safely process the site and recover the vehicle, one-way traffic control was established in the area from approximately 6:30 p.m. until 8:08 p.m. Motorists experienced delays as investigators documented evidence and coordinated the safe removal of the vehicle from the rugged terrain.
At this stage, CHP officials state that neither driver impairment nor foul play are suspected as contributing factors. Early indications suggest the crash was a single-vehicle roadway departure, though the investigation remains ongoing.
The name of the deceased is being withheld pending official identification and notification of family by the Napa County Coroner’s Office.
Authorities extended their condolences to the family and community affected by the incident, underscoring the heartbreaking outcome of a case that began as a missing person search and ended with the confirmation of a fatal crash.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or traveled SR-29 near Robert Louis Stevenson State Park on Tuesday afternoon and observed unusual activity is encouraged to contact the Napa Area CHP Office.
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