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Authorities find body inside car of missing Nelson County woman

Karen Koogler was last seen on Oct. 26

Karen Sue Koogler (Augusta County Sheriff's Office)

NELSON COUNTY, Va.UPDATE - Dec. 7 at 3:39 p.m.

A missing Nelson County woman is likely dead, according to authorities.

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On Sunday, investigators with the Sheriff’s Office were notified about a crash that appeared to have happened some time ago on the Blue Ridge Parkway around milepost 24-25, in Nelson County, involving a vehicle registered to Karen Koogler.

The 56-year-old was last seen on Oct. 26 at a McDonald’s in Buckingham County.

When investigators arrived at the scene, they found a body inside the Koogler’s car.

“In all likelihood, the search for Karen Koogler is over. We had hoped for a different outcome in this investigation for the family and the community,” said Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith in a news release.

The body is now with the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke and no foul play is suspected.

Anyone with information related to Koogler’s disappearance is still asked to contact Investigator Reid with the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office at 540-245-5333.


Original Story - Nov. 5, at 1:02 p.m.

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in finding a missing 56-year-old woman who they considered to be endangered.

On Tuesday, authorities said they began searching for Karen Sue Koogler, of Augusta County, through a waterborne search of James River near the Route 56 boat ramp along the James River. However, they couldn’t find her.

Authorities said a day-long search was conducted on Wednesday in Nelson County to find Koogler and her 2012 Subaru Outback with Virginia tag KNK-6076. However, Koogler still remains missing.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, she was last contacted on Oct. 22 in Fisherville and her phone was last used on Oct. 23 near the Buckingham and Nelson County line. People last saw her at a McDonald’s in Buckingham County on Oct. 26.

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office has been working with the Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and the Buckingham County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information is asked to call 540-245-5333.


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Nicole Del Rosario joined WSLS 10 in August 2020.