Women Charged With Insurance Fraud After SUV Found in Mississippi River

On March 21, authorities in Vicksburg, Mississippi, received a 911 call about a stolen vehicle. Moments later, they had another call, about a partly submerged vehicle in the Mississippi River near a landing.

The submerged vehicle prompted a multi-agency response, according to local news reports. A nearby boat launched a skiff. A search by the sheriff’s office, fire-rescue crews and others found no one inside the black SUV or nearby, the Vicksburg Daily News reported.

It turns out that the water-logged Ford Expedition was the one reported stolen by its owner, Heather Kay McCoy, the newspaper reported. She was arrested April 1 and charged with insurance fraud. An alleged accomplice, Amber Spencer, also was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony.

Both women posted bail and this week were awaiting a grand jury’s review of the case. The Warren County Sheriff did not explain how investigators quickly determined that the submerged auto may have been part of an insurance fraud attempt.

Topics Fraud Mississippi