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July 22, 2008

How car went into river still unclear

By Dan Nienaber

ST PETER — A car found submerged in the Minnesota River near St. Peter late Monday night had searchers concerned they were dealing with more than a damaged vehicle.

Someone called St. Peter police at 11:43 p.m. to report the car was in the river near the Millpond Park public access. Police and Nicollet County Sheriff’s deputies closed the nearby Highway 99 bridge while they searched the area.

Clothing from the car had floated down river and gotten caught in some tree branches, so searchers thought there could have been people in the car when it went in, said Karl Jensen, Nicollet County chief deputy.

The owner of the vehicle, Terra Rose Schnitzler of St. Peter, didn’t contact authorities until 3 a.m., more than three hours after her 1997 Pontiac Grand Am was found. Investigators were able to determine Schnitzler’s children were with their father before then, Jensen said.

Schnitzler did not talk directly to investigators. She called a 911 dispatcher and told that person she was fine and searchers didn’t need to look for her in the river.

“Our immediate concern is there were people out there,” Jensen said. “We really didn’t know what we were dealing with.”

Schnitzler, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, has not been cooperating with investigators, Jensen said. The car had not been reported stolen. Investigators have not determined if it ended up in the river accidentally or intentionally.

The car was 10 to 12 yards away from shore when it sank. It also floated about 125 feet down river before settling on the river bottom.

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