Raleigh 17-year-old found in creek after crash died from hypothermia
According to an autopsy report released Monday, 17-year-old Lauren Jenkins, who went missing after she was involved in a car crash, died due to hypothermia after she got wet.
Posted — UpdatedJenkins was found dead two days after she was involved in a car crash on March 17 at the intersection of Raleigh's Leesville and O'Neal roads. Witnesses reported seeing Jenkins leave the scene of the crash on foot.
Nearly 37 hours later and a half mile away, a man found Jenkins, dead, near a creek in a heavily wooded area behind a home on West Lake Court. She was less than a mile from home.
According to the report, Jenkins was found face up with her arms flexed in a small creek, which was partially filled with water. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt, though a long-sleeved shirt was found 10 to 15 feet from her body.
The autopsy showed that she had cuts to her face, torso and extremities but no physical injury contributed to her death.
She also had alcohol and a trace amount of methamphetamine in her system.
Jenkins was a student at Leesville Road High School.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner classified Jenkins’ death as an accident.
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