Police in the St. Louis area are seeking help from truckers in solving a horrific murder in their area.

Groundskeeping workers found the torso of a woman about 9:22 a.m. Monday, June 28, at the westbound I-70 rest area near Wright City, MO, Mike Yarbrough, of the Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad, told Land Line. The workers, who were there to trim trees and cut grass, found the body in the weeds near a picnic turnaround toward the back of the rest area.

Wright City sits at the 200 mile marker on I-70, just west of the St. Louis metro area.

Law-enforcement officials think the body was dumped between 11 p.m. Sunday, June 27, and dawn Monday.

Police are not sure what the cause of death was – the torso shows no signs of blunt trauma, and without the rest of the body, officials cannot make a determination.

Based on the condition of the body, police think the woman’s remains were dumped at the rest area after she was killed elsewhere, Yarbrough said. They also think she was killed just before she was dumped – “probably in about a 10 or 12 hour period,” Yarbrough said.

Meanwhile, officials are searching any area accessible to the public, such as conservation areas, in a 10-mile radius of the rest area, using officers on horseback and cadaver dogs.

“If it’s a big open area that’s open to the public, we’re checking it,” he said.

Police have sent DNA samples from the body to a state lab to see whether scientists can identify the victim. A DNA profile has already been completed.

As of July 1, police could only say that the victim was a woman between 20 and 40 years of age. She was white, and had two scars from surgery, one from an appendectomy and another that may have been from a Caesarean section. The only clothing on the body was a black size 36B l.e.i. brand bra.

Police did not have any suspects as of Thursday afternoon.

Yarbrough said truckers who may have been at the rest area should call the Major Case Squad Command Post as soon as possible. The area has streetlights that are typical for rest areas, Yarbrough said, and truckers may be able to identify a truck or car they saw there.

“If they saw any vehicle or anybody suspicious lurking in the back lower portion of the rest stop, the parking area west and to the back of the parking lot area,” they should call, Yarbrough said. “Everything occurred during the nighttime hours. We’re hoping one of the truckers was out stretching his legs, walking his dog, walked down the hill a little bit. … Or if he was in the bathroom and they saw a guy and thought he had something on him. Anything and everything.”

The Major Case Squad can be reached at (636) 456-3238.

-‑by Mark H. Reddig, associate editor

Mark Reddig can be reached at mark_reddig@landlinemag.com.