Durham police find woman's body on I-40 after hit-and-run

Durham police are investigating a fatal hit-and-run crash that happened on Interstate 40 East near Exit 276 Wednesday morning.

Officers were dispatched to a report of a deer in the roadway around 6:18 a.m. When they arrived, they found a woman's body on the highway. Authorities have not identified the woman.

Police say the woman was driving a Toyota in the far right eastbound lane of I-40 when she struck the side or tire of a tractor-trailer in the next lane. The impact caused the woman's car to go off the right side of the highway and hit a guardrail. The vehicle stopped on the shoulder.

Investigators believe the woman got out of her vehicle and walked into the middle of I-40 East where she was struck by multiple vehicles. The first vehicle that hit her did not remain at the scene.

I-40 East was reduced to down two lanes between N.C. Highway 751 and Fayetteville Road for about five hours while crews cleared the scene.

No other information was released.