Authorities pull car from Roseville lake, find body inside

Rescue crews pulled a submerged car from Lake Josephine on Sunday afternoon and found the body of a woman inside, according to Ramsey County authorities.

The vehicle, a gray Saturn sedan, matched that of a 64-year-old woman who was reported missing last week in nearby Shoreview. Authorities declined to say whether the body is that of the missing woman. She was described in a Ramsey County Sheriff's Office news release last week as a vulnerable adult.

Identification is pending from the county medical examiner's office, according to Sgt. John Eastham, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

The body was recovered by the water patrol and a dive team after authorities were notified about 1 p.m. Sunday that a car was seen under the ice about 75 feet from a boat launch, Eastham said.

How long the vehicle had been in the water is not clear, he said.

Last Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office issued a news release seeking the public's help in finding the woman, identified then only as "Judi O." Her family asked at the time that her full name not be disclosed.

The Sheriff's Office said she was heard getting out of bed about 4 a.m. Dec. 13 but was nowhere to be found when her husband awoke about 8 a.m. She left behind her purse and cellphone, and she was believed to be driving her silver-gray 2002 Saturn sedan.

"Judi takes medications for illnesses she is suffering from," the Sheriff's Office said in the release. "This behavior is very unusual for her, and her family is concerned for her welfare."

Eastham said he didn't know how long it would take to identify the body.

Anthony Lonetree • 651-925-5036