Woman's Body Found In Lake Below Toll Bridge

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — At around 9:15 a.m. on Thursday morning, a woman apparently fell to her death from the Community Toll Bridge.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has identified the woman as 55-year-old Karen Hultz of Kaiser, Mo.

According to Lake Ozark Police Chief Gary Launderville, a caller reported seeing a body in the Lake of the Ozarks, beneath the bridge.

Launderville says drivers who were later interviewed reported seeing the car sitting on the bridge with a woman in it; witnesses confirmed she was the only person in the car. Later passersby noticed the vehicle was empty.

Authorities soon pulled Hultz's body from the Lake.

“We can only assume…” Launderville trailed off, indicating the likelihood that she had jumped from the bridge. Although the Missouri State Highway Patrol's report claimed the woman "jumped from the bridge," Launderville cautioned against assumptions in these situations, and said authorities are seeking more information to confirm that the woman did indeed jump, and that the situation was not an accident nor was there foul play involved.

A similar incident occurred at the Lake of the Ozarks Community Toll Bridge in May 2014, when 20-year-old Jaspreet Kaur, of Springfield, Mo. jumped from the bridge and drowned, according to witnesses.