Additional human remains found at site of deadly pileup on I-40 near Williams

PHOENIX – Authorities said Monday they were working to identify additional human remains found at the site of a deadly pileup on an icy northern Arizona highway earlier this month.

A search was already underway in the area for three vacationing South Korean women who went missing the day of the March 13 crash on Interstate 40 near Williams.

The tourists — Jiyeon Lee, 33, Taehee Kim, 59, and Junghee Kim, 54 — were last known to be traveling on I-40 between the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas in a rented BMW.

According to Monday’s update, investigators have determined that one of the vehicles involved in the deadly pileup was a BMW SUV.

The Yavapai County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to identify the newly found remains.

What is known about site where human remains were discovered?

Authorities previously reported that 22 vehicles were caught up in the fiery collision, which is still being investigated by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

The pileup and ensuing fire damaged the crash site extensively, creating significant challenges for investigators.

Before the new discovery of remains, two people were confirmed dead. In addition, 16 patients required hospitalization.

It started when a semi-truck jackknifed on the icy roadway around 3:30 p.m., completely blocking westbound I-40 near Williams, about 30 miles west of Flagstaff.

Some vehicles that stopped were rear ended. In some cases, they were pushed underneath tractor-trailers.

The collision caused a fire that spread to multiple vehicles and burned for over 20 hours, DPS said.

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