UPDATE - 4/10/2024
The woman who crashed her vehicle into the Corpus Christi Ship Channel near the Port Aransas jetties has been identified.
According to the Corpus Christi Medical Examiner's Office, Lynna Koehn, 58, was pulled from a Ford Ranger after the vehicle was submerged in the water.
Witnesses reportedly saw a truck drive over the south jetty and into the water near Port Aransas at around 8:30 p.m. Monday.
Witnesses reportedly saw a truck drive over the south jetty and into the water near Port Aransas at around 8:30 p.m. on April 8, 2024.
Police say the male passenger who was inside the truck at the time of the crash made it out of the vehicle and water unharmed.
UPDATE - 4/9/2024
The missing woman who was last seen in a white Ford Ranger truck that drove and sunk into the channel near the jetties has been found dead.
According to Port Aransas Police Chief Scott Burroughs, a 54-year-old man from Port Lavaca, along with an unidentified woman, were in the truck near the jetties around 8 p.m. when it crashed and sunk into the ship channel.
“First responders from the Port Aransas Police Department, Port Aransas EMS, and Port Aransas Fire Department responded to the scene," Chief Burroughs said. "Shortly after officers got here, a man emerged from the water, and had some back up onto the jetties, and he reported that he had been in a pickup truck that had gone over the wall.”
Several Port Aransas residents told KRIS 6 News reporter Erin Holly that while the incident on Monday night is a concern, it has happened before.
“Oh I’m concerned for sure," Port Aransas resident Sean Jackson said. "I’ve lived here for 11 years and we've seen this happen a couple of times. The same area, we had someone drive off the Ferry landing a couple years ago, so nothing new."
The man was able to free himself but the woman was trapped in the truck.
First responders were able to pull the truck out of the water on Tuesday and recovered her body. Autopsy results on her cause of death are pending at this time.
Chief Burroughs said that the woman has not been identified yet, but that the man and the woman in the truck were "acquaintances".
ORIGINAL - 4/8/2024
A search is underway in Port Aransas after a truck crashed into the ship channel Monday night.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a white Ford Ranger was seen driving erratically near the jetties around 8 p.m. before it ended up in the water. A man and woman were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Officials told KRIS 6 News that the man was able to make it out of the vehicle. However, the woman never emerged from the water.
As of 11 p.m. on Monday evening, crews were still searching for the woman. The ship channel has also been closed as the investigation continues.
This is a developing story. Stay with KRIS 6 News for the very latest.
