Kids discover woman frozen to death near park after car crash, Illinois officials say

An Illinois driver froze to death after she slipped down an embankment following a crash near her home, officials say.

Nanette Seacrist, 57, slid into a tree and got stuck as she turned into her driveway on a residential street in Washington, a city east of Peoria, WEEK reported.

After exiting her vehicle, officials believe she fell down the embankment to a creek and couldn’t get back to safety.

Several kids discovered Seacrist’s body by the creek Friday, officials say. A local park is near the area.

Friday’s low temperature in Washington was 4 degrees, with a high of 10.

The Tazewell County Coroner’s Office announced Monday that Seacrist likely died of cold exposure and no foul play is suspected. A toxicology test is pending.

“It was just some bad circumstances that kept on escalating,” Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley told the Peoria Journal Star. “It’s just unfortunate.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 11:59 AM.