Authorities in Cooper County are investigating the death of a South Dakota woman who was reportedly shot inside a vehicle.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, troopers responded on December 13 to a traffic crash on I-70 and discovered the body of 40-year-old Melissa Peskey, who was deceased in the driver's seat of the vehicle. An autopsy performed in Columbia indicated that Peskey died from a gunshot wound from a weapon that had been fired from outside the vehicle.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 573-751-1000.

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News release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on December 13, 2018, troopers responded to a traffic crash on Interstate 70, near the 96-mile marker, in Cooper County.  Upon arrival, officers discovered the body of 40-year-old Melissa A. Peskey, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, deceased in the driver’s seat.

On December 17, 2018, an autopsy was performed on the victim at the Boone County Medical Examiner's Office in Columbia, Missouri.  Preliminary results of the investigation at the scene and autopsy indicate that the victim died of a gunshot wound, from a weapon fired from outside the vehicle.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 573-751-1000.

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