Cape's new 'cold case': Whose frozen SUV is that in the Mississippi River?

A Cape Girardeau mystery began to unfold earlier this week when a vehicle turned up in the Mississippi River. At the time of its discovery, the water in and around the car was frozen, making its identification nearly impossible Cape Girardeau Sgt. Rick Schmidt said.

The river level is unusually low, and it�s unknown how long the vehicle has been submerged.

The vehicle, while unidentifiable for now, has Cape Girardeau resident and business owner Christen Edmonds wondering whether it may be the same vehicle stolen from her in late 2017.

A sunken vehicle protrudes through a frozen section of the Mississippi River on Wednesday in Cape Girardeau.Aaron Palmer

She�s the owner of Brickwood Boutique, on the upper floor of the Indie House in downtown Cape Girardeau. It was from the back parking lot of that building her 2013 BMW X3 was stolen Nov. 1.

The muck and ice of the river make the color, make and model of the vehicle difficult to identify.

Edmonds said the detective who initially investigated her stolen vehicle told her the SUV may had made its way all the way to Colorado.

A sunken vehicle protrudes through a frozen section of the Mississippi River on Wednesday in Cape Girardeau.Aaron Palmer

From images taken of the car found in the river, she also noticed the vehicle sporting rain guards, which Edmonds said she didn�t think her vehicle had.

Schmidt said the SUV will be in the water until freezing temperatures subside long enough to pull it out without a safety risk. Once that happens, he added, the police will investigate the identity of the vehicle and find out how and why it ended up in the river.