Death of California woman found in son's SUV after high speed chase, ruled as homicide
30-year-old Tosten Walsh Lommen is facing charges of eluding authorities and drunken driving but has not been charged with his mother's death.
PIERRE, S.D. (KTVU, AP) - Investigators in South Dakota have ruled the death of a California woman who was found in the back seat of her son's SUV as a homicide.
58-year-old Michelle Walsh's body was discovered after her son, 30-year-old Tosten Walsh Lommen of Santa Cruz led state troopers on a chase that reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour on New Year's Day.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said Monday that preliminary results of an autopsy show Walsh Lommen's mother died from head and neck injuries.
The Santa Cruz man is facing charges of eluding authorities and drunken driving but has not been charged with his mother's death.
In 2015, a restraining order was filed against Walsh Lommen in Santa Cruz County by an ex-girlfriend who accused him of abuse.