The Monroe County Coroner’s Office is investigating the death of a woman found in a parked car outside a Walmart in Bloomington Sunday.
Preliminary evidence suggests 59-year-old Rosemary Hawkins suffered a medical emergency.
First responders arrived at noon Sunday after receiving a 911 call about an unresponsive person inside a vehicle. She also had several dogs inside the vehicle.
When firefighters opened the door to access the woman’s body, the dogs escaped and began “aggressively charging at bystanders and emergency responders,” according to the sheriff’s office. One civilian and one firefighter were bit.
Sheriff’s deputies and animal control contained the area and secured the dogs. Eight dogs were captured and transported to the animal shelter. The sheriff’s office said it believes all dogs are accounted for, but animal management said it will continue to check the area over the next few days to confirm.
The sheriff’s office believes the woman’s vehicle struck a light pole in the parking lot at 8:20 a.m., according to surveillance footage. The office also said that the individual was “regularly seen parked on the west side of the Walmart property.”
The sheriff’s office and the coroner are investigating the circumstances of the woman’s death, but foul play is not suspected.
This story has been updated to include the person's identity.
