Body found in car pulled from Cedar River; car registered to missing Atkins woman

UPDATE: Authorities believe they have recovered the body of Nancy Collins of Atkins, after a car registered to Atkins was pulled from the Cedar River near Palo this morning.

Crews pulled the car to shore around 9:30 a.m. using a large excavator and a chain. Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said the body of a woman was found strapped in the driver's seat. The registration on the car confirms that it belongs to Collins, he said.

The body will be transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Ankeny, where an autopsy will be done.

The car was located about 230 yards south of the Blairs Ferry Road bridge and less than 20 yards from the east shore.

A motorist reported seeing flashing taillights in the river on the evening of March 14. Collins had been missing since that night.

Gardner said investigators believe the car was westbound when it went off the north shoulder and into the river.

Collins' family was not on the scene Thursday to make a positive identification.

“We told them about our plans yesterday, but they had no desire to be here,” Gardner said. “You can understand that.”

At least 10 people were gathered on the shoreline of the river this morning, looking toward the ground. They included members of the Linn County Sheriff's Office and other men wearing latex gloves.

Two boats carrying divers entered the water around 8:45 a.m. and near the area where the car was stuck in the river. One boat was less than 20 yards from the shore and the other was farther out, in the middle of the river.

Two excavators crunched through the marshy east shoreline to reach the scene. Deputies with the Linn County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Natural Resources were also on the scene.

The car was located Sunday about 230 yards south of the bridge. Collins was reported missing March 14. That same night, a passerby called 911 thinking a car may have went off Blairs Ferry Road and into the river.

Deputies responded but high waters caused by the spring thaw made it unsafe to search the water effectively.

On Sunday, Sheriff Brian Gardner said dive crews determined the GPS coordinates of the car, which was upside down and completely submerged in about eight feet of water. Cables attached to the car snapped, and the crews decided to try again when the water went down.

RELATED:

• March 16 --
• March 17 --
• March 22 --
• March 28 --

RELATED:

• March 16 -- Crews must wait to investigate reports of car in river
• March 17 -- High water delays search for car in river
• March 22 -- Deputies still investigating missing Atkins woman
• March 28 -- Authorities locate car in Cedar River near Palo