Prince William County police found a body in a creek in a wooded area of Dale City, Va., Tuesday morning that matched the description of a missing Woodbridge mother.
Julie Ann Kroll, 39, was last seen on December 16. Police said she crashed her SUV in a neighborhood and walked away, leaving her 8-year-old daughter behind.
A man who witnessed the accident called police.
"I didn’t know what she was under the influence of," Raymond Messenger said. "It seemed to me like alcohol just because she did the whole stumbling thing and she was having a really hard time walking around.”
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Messenger said he got in his truck and tried unsuccessfully to find her.
Kroll wasn’t heard from again. Warrants were issued for her arrest, including a charge of felony child neglect.
Tuesday morning, 13 days after Kroll disappeared, police started their grid search for her. A few hours later they found a woman’s body. It was in the woods just 300 yards from Knoll’s accident.
Neighbors who live in the area of Beaumont Road and Fontaine Court are stunned at the discovery.
"I live on the street, like 10 houses away, and she's been there probably the whole time,” said Donna Smith.
"I was hoping she was OK,” Messenger said. “I was hoping she was just with friends trying to avoid the cops.”
Investigators said they are confident that the body found is Kroll's because it looks like her and was found so close to the crash scene. They are waiting for results from the medical examiner's office before making a positive identification.
