Loretta “Lori” Evelyn Moore, the 55-year-old woman reported missing June 20 after she failed to return home, was found dead Wednesday inside her overturned car in a Castle Rock creek.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said Moore’s next of kin have been notified. Family members had previously told law enforcement that Moore had a medical condition that affected her heart.
According to the CCSO, detectives said Moore’s Honda Accord left the road in the 300 block of Delameter Road, continued through a field and down an embankment, before coming to rest on its top in the Arkansas Creek.
Detectives said the car was located in about 3 feet of water. A citizen reportedly alerted a patrol deputy of the submerged car at about 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The deputy found the body of Moore — the car’s sole occupant — and called in detectives.
Moore had been missing for days prior to her discovery. Family told the sheriff’s office on June 20 that Moore had visited a known acquaintance in the Castle Rock area on June 19.
Moore never returned home and missed a family Father’s Day event.
Detectives contacted the acquaintance on June 21 and obtained video footage of Moore leaving the home on June 19 at 9:25 p.m. Cellular records reportedly put her last known location near exit 48 on southbound Interstate 5 — just six minutes after leaving the acquaintance’s home.
Upon announcing its investigation, the CCSO said there had been no activity on Moore’s phone, credit cards or online accounts since June 19, and said Moore had not gone to work.
