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Carolina Calderon-Zuniga/Met Police
London
Police still baffled by unexplained death of woman found underneath her own car
Ten years on, a fresh appeal has been made.
POLICE IN LONDON have issued a fresh appeal 10 years after they launched an investigation into an unusual, unexplained death.
Carolina Calderon-Zuniga was found under the wheels of her own car at about 11.30pm on Friday 24 June 2005 in Peckham.
When police arrived, local firefighters were already at the scene where they had lifted the green Fiat Punto off the 24-year-old mother of two.
She was taken to a south London hospital for treatment but died a short time after arrival.
“I remember the incident very clearly, it’s one I wouldn’t forget,” London Fire Brigade station manager Lisa King said this week.
“When we arrived at the scene there was a crowd of people around the car and Carolina was underneath it. We quickly set about lifting the car off her and giving her medical aid until the ambulance turned up.
But it was the circumstances that really set this apart from most other calls we go to. She was underneath her own car and there was nobody else at the scene who admitted to driving the car.
A 26-year-old man was arrested shortly after the victim was found but he was later released without charge. An inquest held on 14 September of the same year returned an open verdict.
Ten years on, officers are re-igniting efforts to uncover the truth about Carolina’s death.
“As you would imagine it has had a very profound effect on her family, especially her two daughters who were only aged seven and four at the time,” said DC John Isaacs from the Met Police’s special casework team.
“Someone must have seen or heard something that night and for whatever reason they did not come forward at the time. I would appeal to them to contact the police and help bring this family some answers and with it closure.
“If anyone has any information about what happened that fateful night or who may have been driving the car, I urge them to come forward for the benefit of Carolina’s loved ones.”
Police are also offering a reward of up to £10,000 for any information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person or people responsible for the death.
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