The body of a 72-year-old Rossville woman reported missing since last Sunday afternoon was found Wednesday morning by Walker County detectives searching the wooded area near her home.
Detectives found Dora Lee Stratton’s 1997 white Honda Accord at the bottom of a gulley adjacent to Beverly Street, a dead-end street near her home. Ms. Stratton’s body was found outside her automobile.
Detectives theorize that Ms. Stratton, who had several health issues, may have missed her driveway upon returning home from a store Sunday afternoon. It appears that her automobile continued about 75 yards down the roadway, then left the road and came to rest in the woods, approximately 200 feet from the dead-end street.
Evidence suggests that Mrs. Stratton exited the vehicle and attempted to climb out of the gulley. She was unsuccessful and succumbed to the weather elements or natural causes.