LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Police in California say they haven't decided if a woman who drove for months with a mummified body in her car will face charges.
Orange County authorities say they believe the dead woman was a homeless person that the driver befriended in Fountain Valley, although detectives are still trying to determine the details of their relationship, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
Police are still considering whether the driver should face criminal charges, the newspaper said.
The death did not appear to be the result of foul play, and police are trying to determine why the driver, a woman in her 50s, chose to continue driving with a foul-smelling corpse rather than make a report to authorities, detective Mike Cohen said.
The date of death was uncertain, but authorities estimate the body could have been in the car from three to 10 months, Cohen said.
The body was discovered when police in Costa Mesa were called about an illegally parked vehicle Monday.
In the car they discovered the body "seated in a reclined position in the front passenger seat with clothing items covering" it, the Times said.
Authorities said they are reviewing health and safety codes to determine whether it is illegal to drive with a corpse.
