Autauga County investigators seek identity after woman found in creek

Investigators in Autauga County were trying to identify a woman whose body was found in Mulberry Creek near County Road 83, on the Autauga-Dallas county line, after Norfolk Southern Railroad workers made the discovery at about 3:15 p.m. on March 17, 2026. The case immediately became a death investigation, with the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office asking for public help as deputies worked to learn who she was and where she had entered the creek.

Sheriff Mark Harrell’s office said the body may have traveled down the creek from Dallas, Chilton or Autauga counties, a possibility that widened the reach of the investigation beyond one jurisdiction. Big Mulberry Creek forms part of the boundary between Autauga and Dallas counties, a detail that put the creek corridor itself at the center of the inquiry and raised questions for anyone who had been in the area near the county line.

Authorities asked anyone with information about the woman’s identity to contact Investigator Watts at 334-361-2500. At first, officials had no immediate details on the cause of death or who the woman was, and the sheriff’s office said it would wait for autopsy results and identification before drawing conclusions. The discovery site, near County Road 83, sat in a stretch of creek and railroad ground that could matter to residents tracking access to the area and the movement of people or vehicles along the county line.

An autopsy later described the remains as those of a Black woman about 45 to 55 years old, about 5 feet 3 inches tall and around 130 pounds. Investigators said she had short black hair, no tattoos and a scar from a C-section delivery, and she was wearing a multi-colored top, a black jacket and dark-colored pants. The autopsy also concluded the cause of death was drowning.

Investigators said they found no injuries or evidence pointing to foul play. Even so, the woman remained unidentified in the latest reports, leaving deputies with a name, a timeline and a creek-side location, but no final answer on who she was or how she reached Mulberry Creek.