Kidnapped Montana woman calls family before her death

• 5 hours ago
 
• From the sectionUS & Canada

Image copyrightCOURTESY ROCHELLE MAZE

Image captionRita Maze (L) also spoke to her daughter Rochelle (R) on the phone

A woman who was abducted in Montana spoke to her family by telephone several times before she died.

Rita Maze, 47, called her husband from the boot of her stolen car on after being abducted from a rest stop on a highway.

She spoke with her family and police for about 10 minutes, but did not know where she was, the local sheriff said.

Her body was found 325 miles (523km) away near Spokane airport on the Washington state border.

Image captionThe abduction is believed to have taken place near Wolf Creek, north of the state capital of Helena

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said Mrs Maze had called her husband using a mobile phone on Tuesday, and said that she been hit on the head near Wolf Creek, north of Helena.

Her husband reported her as missing, and remained in contact with his wife.

Rochelle Maze, the victim's daughter, told the Great Falls Tribune that her mother was hysterical and difficult to understand when they spoke.

"I told her that I loved her," Rochelle said. "That's the last thing she heard."

Image copyrightGOOGLE

Image captionLocal media said police had searched two rest stops along Interstate 15 for clues

The intermittent phone signal was cut off after about 10 minutes.

Sheriff Dutton said a police officer had spoken to Mrs Maze before her death.

Her body was discovered early on Wednesday, after police used her phone's signal to help track the vehicle.

Her licence plate was also captured on camera near Post Falls in the state of Idaho.

Police said a "person of interest" had been indentified in the investigation, and surveillance video was also being looked at.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is also involved in the investigation, because the death involved travel across a number of US states.