'Not giving up hope': Missoula County Sheriff's Office seeking information in 2018 cold case

On March 3, 2018, Susan Wood left her Missoula home for work. She was headed to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, where she was a night cleaner.

She didn't own a car, so always walked and took the bus, according to the Missoula County Sheriff's Office. CCTV footage captured her on the Mountain Line bus, which she took from her home on Stephens Street to the mall transfer station, before getting on another bus to Reserve. Around 6:30 p.m., she stopped by Albertsons to buy snacks. Then CCTV showed her walking by the nearby Target and Lowe's to reach the Reserve Street bridge over Broadway, where she was walking at around 7.

At 8:30 p.m. that night, Wood was found unconscious and badly injured on Coal Mine Road, wearing only a bra, pants and one shoe. Her phone was also missing. Two weeks later, she died in the hospital without ever regaining consciousness, according to the sheriff's office. She was 45 years old.

At first, responding officers thought she'd been the victim of a hit and run. But investigators quickly determined her blunt force trauma injuries weren't consistent with a pedestrian hit by a car, and the investigation became a search for a killer.

No one was ever arrested or charged for Wood's death. In an interview with the Missoulian this week, Missoula County Sheriff's Office Detective Captain Ryan Prather said the detective division eventually ran out of leads.

This January, Prather made the call to hand the case over to the department's Cold Case Unit, according to a Missoula County Sheriff's Office press release last week.

The Cold Case Unit consists of retired investigators who volunteer their time to investigate cold cases in Missoula County.

According to the release, the current theory among investigators is that someone stopped to offer Woods a ride as she was walking along Reserve, at or near the intersection of Stockyard and Reserve. The sheriff's office believes the suspect drove down Stockyard to Coal Mine Road, where Wood likely jumped from the car to escape. Her injuries suggest she rolled under the vehicle and was struck by the rear wheels.

According to past Missoulian reporting, Wood's sister and boss both said Woods didn't accept rides to work, even from people she knew well who were headed in her direction.

She was 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 260 pounds, and was wearing a pink jacket with brass buttons on March 3, 2018.

The Cold Case Unit is currently working on reviewing the entire case file and has re-interviewed several people who were interviewed at the time, Prather said. The unit is also discussing how new technology might help the case.

"DNA evidence has evolved throughout the years," Prather said, adding the unit is considering resubmitting some evidence for testing.

Prather hopes that bringing the case back to the attention of the public and the media will resurface new leads.

"I am hoping that, you know, someone saw something that's maybe still in the area," Prather said. "Maybe just the slightest, the simplest thing that somebody recalls, that could be huge in a case like this."

In particular, Prather said, he's hoping for information about Wood's red or maroon backpack, which she was wearing in CCTV footage, or her phone, believed to be an LG Extravert 2.

"I don't want this just to go away," Prather said. "We're not giving up hope."

Anyone who recalls anything suspicious in the associated areas at the time, or has any information related to the case, is urged to contact the Missoula County Sheriff's Office at 406-258-3348.