GRANT COUNTY, Ind. — Indiana State Police are investigating the death of an Alexandria woman Saturday morning while she was sitting in an Upland Police car as officers investigated an accident near Gas City.
According to State Police, Amanda Elbert, 32, died after allegedly shooting herself with a handgun she had retrieved from her purse.
She had been involved in an accident around 8:15 a.m. near 4598 South Grant County Road 600 East, which is between Gas City and Interstate 69.
When officers arrived at the crash scene, they found a 2007 Chevrolet Impala crashed into a utility pole. Officers from the Gas City Police Department, Upland Police Department, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the crash.
They found Elbert, a passenger in the car. The driver of the car allegedly ran away from the crash scene, State Police said.
Elbert indicated she was not injured in the crash. Due to the cold, an Upland Police officer offered to let Elbert sit in the front seat of his police car to stay warm as the crash investigation was conducted.
She accepted the offer and sat in the front passenger seat of the police car. That's when officers working at the crash scene heard a gunshot and found Elbert injured. Medics were called back to the scene and Elbert was pronounced dead.
State Police are conduction the investigation at the request of the Grant County Sheriff.
