A woman found on the side of the road after apparently shooting herself was pronounced dead Thursday.
According to a release from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, authorities responded to a report of a woman on the ground next to a vehicle at about 9:02 a.m. Upon arrival, deputies and units from the Jerome Township and Washington Township fire departments found a woman, later identified as Kera-Ann N. Bollinger, 21, of Ada, on the ground next to a 2005 Buick LeSabre after an apparent crash. She appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
According to an email from Chief Union County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Morgan, a handgun was found at the scene, and nobody else was in the vehicle.
EMS crews took Bollinger to Dublin Methodist Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. She was then taken to the Franklin County Morgue, where officials will perform an autopsy.
The incident remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and the Franklin County Coroner’s Office. Authorities are continuing interviews of relevant people to rule whether the incident is a suicide.
“That usually comes out during the course of the investigation,” Morgan told the Journal-Tribune this morning.
The Ohio Department of Transportation closed a lane of U.S. 33 while authorities processed the scene. As of late Thursday, all lanes were reopened.