RCMP say a motorist who was out stretching his legs while waiting out an accident on the Coquihalla Highway last Sunday discovered a woman’s body near the road. 

The crash happened near Merritt, B.C., when a driver fell asleep at the wheel while passing a semi-truck, sending all five members of his family to hospital. The highway was shut down for hours. 

After the motorist alerted them to the discovery, RCMP say officers secured the area where the body was found late that night. The team fully investigated the scene the following morning with the help of the B.C. Coroners Service and the RCMP Forensic Identification Section.