BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Police found a woman dead in a ditch on Sunday near South Walnut Street Pike, said Bloomington Police Department Captain Ryan Pedigo.
A passenger in a car driving by called police after he spotted what he thought might be a body in a ditch beside the road, Pedigo said. Officers arrived and found a woman dead, “lying in the ditch in a patch of brush.”
Monroe County Coroner Joani Stalcup identified the woman as 37-year-old Jade Sanders. Stalcup said Sanders was from Bloomington but experiencing homelessness when she died. The cause and manner of death remains unknown until the autopsy scheduled for Wednesday is complete.
Police did not say if foul play is suspected, but urged anyone with information is asked to call BPD Detective Chris Scott at (812) 339-4477.
This is the third death of a person suffering from homelessness in two months.
On Dec. 7, 42-year-old Craig A. Pearson allegedly killed 31-year-old Shaquille Phillips with a machete claiming to avenge recent thefts from tents in an encampment. Police arrested him later that day.
Then, on Jan. 9 police say 41-year-old Evelynn Kuuleilehaunani shot 52-year-old Curtis Butler during an argument in an encampment. She was arrested ten days later, on Jan. 19.
The victims and suspects in both cases were homeless, and both suspects are in jail facing murder charges
