Remains found near highway identified as missing Springfield woman
Steven SpearieThe woman found dead near the southbound entrance ramp to Interstate 55 at Stevenson Drive Wednesday afternoon had been missing for several weeks.
Teresa Ann Coleman, 54, of Springfield, was last seen on Feb. 17 according to a flyer shared by Coleman's family on social media.
In a news release issued Thursday, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said that preliminary autopsy findings determined Coleman’s death was a homicide.
More:Coroner: Female remains found near Springfield highway
Reached by The State Journal-Register Thursday, Allmon said he couldn't divulge how Coleman died.
Springfield Police Deputy Chief Sara Pickford said that ISP is leading the investigation.
Pickford confirmed that SPD took a missing person report on Coleman when the department was contacted by her family.
An Illinois Department of Transportation work crew discovered Coleman's remains early Wednesday afternoon. That is when Illinois State Police were summoned to the site.
The death remains under investigation by the ISP, the Springfield Police Department and the coroner's office.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.