By KRWG News
Las Cruces – Police are continuing to investigate an overnight crash that claimed the life of 39-year-old Shawna Jerome of Las Cruces.
Jerome was killed after the 2006 Scion tC she was driving crashed sometime around midnight on Union Avenue, just west of Mesilla Park Elementary School. Jerome was traveling alone and no other vehicles are believed to have been involved in the crash.
A passerby called police at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, after noticing Jerome's vehicle in the dry irrigation canal that runs parallel with Union Avenue. Las Cruces Police officers arrived on scene and discovered Jerome about 20 feet from the wreckage. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Traffic investigators believe Jerome was driving eastbound on Union when her vehicle crossed the center line, left the roadway and struck the irrigation canal. The vehicle rolled multiple times and Jerome was ejected.
Investigators believe that excessive speed may have been a contributing factor in the crash. Police believe the crash occurred just after midnight though it wasn't discovered by a passerby until shortly before 1:30 a.m.